They might be students of last year, but they’ve clearly mastered their brand economics well, what with the trio – Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan on a brand endorsement signing spree since their debut in October 2012. Their youth appeal, spunk and freshness has made them very popular among teenagers especially, bridging connect and recall value considered most essential for brand associations.
While together the trio has signed and shot for IDEE eyewear and a cola brand, Sidharth additionally is the new face for Kwality Walls where he is partnered with Vicky Donor stunner Yaami Gautam, whereas Varun Dhawan endorses Nestle with Alia & a mobile application where he teams up with Parineeti Chopra. When questioned about his choice for brand endorsements, Varun said, “I’ve been a little choosy about the ads. I want to connect with people of my age, who are also my audience, and these ads are helping me do that.”
For Sidharth his modeling skills from past seem to be coming handy as Ad guru’s believe he brings the requisite boy next door charm to the screen. “It’s a lot of fun and moreover you get to stay connected with your audience in the gap between your film releases”. Having played fashionista in her debut and a beauty product endorsement in her kitty, it won’t be a big surprise that major fashion brands are vying to sign Alia.
Experts say it’s a refreshing trend where the young brigade are grabbing such plum deals while brands are cashing in on their popularity as well as saving costs. “This is a golden period for newcomers such as Parineeti, Alia and Varun, as their portfolio seems to have shifted in terms of brand value. Earlier, one would need seven films to sign their first ad deal, but now one movie is enough to create demand in the market,” says Manish Porwal of Alchemist Marketing Solutions while filmmaker Kunal Kohli adds, “These young stars are here to stay, and their pay is proportionate to what they bring to the table in terms of their popularity.” ‘It’s a win-win situation’ concludes ad-man Prahlad Kakkar.
