Bollywood has been India’s global identity. Brands such as Lakmé, HUL, Nestle, Garnier, Procter and Gamble, over the years, have been successfully marketing their products and driving sales by making bollywood stars the face of the brands. However, in the game of endorsements, startups are not shy in approaching Bollywood biggies to be the face. With the burgeoning startup ecosystem in India, the lives of Indians are now visibly surrounded by startups that are efficiently solving routine problems. Not having the mood to dine out – we have Swiggy, your AC broke down – call Urban Company, want to pay credit card bills – we have Cred and the list is endless.
Startups in India have been a lucrative sector so far and have been receiving investments and funding from the glamour world as well. In India, the trend of glamour world becoming the face of startups began sometime back. From Deepika Padukone, Ayushmann Khurana to Salman Khan, the celebrities are endorsing startups.
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Startups in India have been a lucrative sector and has attracted investments and funding from the bollywood glamour world.
Bollywood Biggies Endorsing Startups
Akshay Kumar for GOQii
When it comes to having a healthy and athletic lifestyle we cannot think of a name other than Akshay Kumar. Akshay Kumar was recently seen in a YouTube video where he encouraged people to purchase smart wearables from GOQii that helps people to track their heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, tracks steps, and other physical activities.
As the work from home model confined people to their rooms, the demand for smart wearables has shot up. People have become conscious about leading a healthy lifestyle for which routine monitoring of body performance is essential. As per International Data Corporation, the wearables market in India posted 144.3 percent growth in 2020.
GOQii was founded in 2014, by Vishal Gondal which is a smart wearable brand whose smart health ecosystem integrates tools for real-time personalized coaching, schedule health checkups, etc. Apart from the face of this brand, Akshay Kumar is also an investor and strategic advisor. He will also be conducting quizzes and LIVE coaching sessions on GOQii Play.
Ayushmann Khurrana for The Man Company
Ayushmann Khurrana has created his niche in the Bollywood industry by selecting film scripts that are unconventional and highlight the relevant issues in the Indian culture. He is the brand ambassador for the male-only grooming startup -The Man Company and has also invested in this startup. These funds will be used for branding and marketing purposes and building presence in the country.
The personal care and grooming range for men was largely untapped in India for ages. The Man Company was founded in 2015 by Bhisham Bhateja, Hitesh Dhingra, Rohit Chawla, and Parvesh Bareja that offers men’s head-to-toe range of grooming products. Ayushmann Khurrana, in the commercial for The Man Company – ‘Gentleman Kise Kehte hai,’ breaks the narrative of a man who is perceived to be mentally tough and strong always and does not have the word ‘weak’ in his dictionary.
Deepika Padukone for Epigamia
Mumbai-based fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company Epigamia that specialises in Greek artisanal yogurts, snack packs, Indian Smoothies, etc. has roped in Deepika Padukone as a strategic advisor and face for the brand. Deepika Padukone, in its series of commercials for Epigamia, promotes healthy food choices like yogurt as snacks between work intervals or in the evening under the hashtag #YourHappyBalance.
Salman Khan For BharatPe
BharatPe – a fintech startup that empowers small and medium business owners to accept online payments from any payment app directly into their bank account for free had roped Salman Khan to be its brand ambassador.
Salman Khan, becoming the face of BharatPe App, seems relevant because of his recent movie ‘ Bharat’ that has the same name as the product. Salman Khan has ardent fans among youngsters due to his masculine presence on silver screen and film stories that forms better connect with Tier-II and Tier-III masses. The campaign with Salman Khan was focussed towards educating merchants and users about UPI payments along with driving adoption of BharatPe app for all their business needs. Salman Khan has a brand value of $55.7 million which gives him the sixth spot in highest brand valued Bollywood celebs.
What’s in it for startups?
Startups are currently using Bollywood faces to leverage their already existing huge fanbase on social media handles and in general to maximise brand reach. Startup owners are roping in actors whose films have been consistently a blockbuster hit. Hence, holding that audience emotion, they intend to use faces of bollywood biggies in order to garner more traction for the campaigns.
The writer seems to have commendable grasp on the happenings; written in an articulated way.