This story is from September 6, 2008

Health or just wealth?

SASHWATI SANYAL / Sep 6, 2008, 00:35 IST

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Do celebs endorsing health leave a mark on their viewers?

Have you ever craved for a health drink solely because you saw your favourite star endorsing the product? Do you go hammer and tongs after bottles of honey, the moment you see a beaming Amitabh Bachchan boasting about the product's intrinsic goodness?
The star with bulging muscles, perspiring heavily definitely ups the cool quotient when he smugly reveals the secret of his endless energy, as you quickly tuck the product away in your "must buy" list.And why not?
After all, a celeb endorsing a health product is believed to lend his/her brand worth to the product. But does the formula really work for a consumer? And is the impact worthy to last long?
"The idea is to grab the viewer's attention. Only then can the product bag an identity," points out Sourabh Roy, an advertising professional.

According to Roy, every product posesses a personality and celeb tie-up often becomes the product's alternate face. The only clause here is to zero down on a celeb who has similar attributes to that of the product.
For instance, when Horlicks launched itself exclusively for women, it used actress Konkana Sen as its brand ambassador. According to the Indian Market Research bureau (IMRB), Horlicks reached a crucial segment of the population, the multitasking new age woman, who is conscious of her health needs. Sanjeev Mehra, head of Research at IMRB, reveals that the conceptualisation of a particular product is crucial to grab audiences to support it.

"Health and hygiene is a niche field requiring careful observation. There have been blunders when a celeb had been used and then dropped because of certain inappropriate behaviour. And, yet in our country there is almost a blind following for celebs and advertising is always looking at ways and means to encash this trend," adds Mehra.
Cricketer Shane Warne was removed from an Australian 'No smoking' ad when he was found smoking in public, two months prior to the end of his four year contract. The public felt hood-winked, for Warne no longer was what he had seemed like in the ad space and the implicit trust had almost evaporated. The company never renewed its contract with Warne.
Ten celeb health endorsements
Explains adman Prahlad Kakar, "A celeb endorsing a health product is a risky business. Especially, when you are trying to convince a huge population that this is the way to go. The product managers are almost creating a divine image of the product with the celeb and if the latter falters, it means a whole load of disgrace and in worse cases, getting banned."
However on a lighter note Kakkar does specify that people today are no longer gullible. People look at the product's inherent qualities and no amount of celeb endorsement can catapult it to the public eye if the product is 'all fluff and no substance'. "In fact there are quite a few celebs (and I am not naming them) who don't wish to be associated with a product they aren't convinced about." quips Kakkar.
Agrees Mehra, "Yes, although it is yet not a trend in India, but yes there are a handful who refuse to be associated if they do not believe in the product."
Finally, what about the common man?
Says Gurpreet Singh, a student and a self-professed shopaholic, "It depends on the type of product actually. Like I am completely taken over by Bipasha Basu's Sugar Free ad yet Sachin Tendulkar's Boost leaves me cold. Celebrities are always welcome, for I think everyone wants to know the products they use, but it should be convincing." However, not everyone thinks that way, as Abhishek Talwar gushes about David Beckham's cover on the August issue of Men's Health magazine, "I would obviously pick up the gloss as it has Beckham on the cover," says an over enthusiastic Talwar.
A survey done by the Celebrities Brand endorsement by IMRB comprising 2,019 people across 19 metros and small towns has recently revealed that although 86 per cent of those surveyed remembered ads with celebrities in it, only 3 per cent actually bought a brand solely because of the celebrity. That's quite a startling figure given how celeb driven our population is.
The original Kamasutra girl, Pooja Bedi adds, "People in India are driven in matters of health only by someone like Amitabh Bachchan. Probably, he is the only star who has that instant connect with the audience. Also, the fact that common people love him so much helps. The Polio ads actually made such an impact. I can't see any one else who has such a large influence on the public."
Well, you win some, you lose some. But until then, there's no harm in fantasising yourself in that "ooh so wonderfully sexy figure"...umm just like hot bod Bipasha Basu.
Ten celeb health endorsements

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