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Retail Plus
the day of the brand-hero!
A celebrity ambassador must be exclusive to a brand as the day of the brand icon’s renaissance is here to stay! Gone are the days when big corporate houses and consumer brands were the classy few who had brand ambassadors to promote their products. The resilience in Chennai’s retail market has provided a podium for mounting profits and retail giants are particularly enthused about roping in an Indian brand ambassador as part of the marketing strategies.
The hot-ambassador-mascot-trend has received further momentum by the phenomenal success of ad campaigns depicting sports heroes or film celebrities flashed on TV screens and numerous billboards around the city. What goes into choosing the right brand ambassador and how do retailers decide which celebrity will represent their brand?
“A Brand ambassador must be in line with the philosophy of the brand,” responds S Ramesh, Managing Partner, Pothys, “because he or she is the face of the brand.” Talking on why actor Meera Jasmine was chosen as the brand icon for Pothys Samudrika Pattu, he says that celebrities enjoy an image among people and that image is transferred to the brand. “The synergy of the product and the person blend to such an extent that the product and person become one.”
More or less echoing the same sentiment Princeson Jose, Managing Director - Prince Jewellery explains that the brand ambassador should match the product. He says the choice of actor-dancer Shobna as an exclusive mascot for the antique jewellery collection by Prince Jewellery was no accident. “We took time to choose the one who will represent our collection the best,” he smiles, “and being a dancer of an ancient classical performing art, actor Shobna was the right choice.”
Every brand stands for something, every product has characteristics and features, every company has a plan for its brand and how they would like people to remember it by…the brand’s unique selling point. And every brand ambassador is a manifestation of the brand he or she represents. “Pothys stands for family values and our brand ambassadors reflect this,” says Ramesh, referring to the Pothys ad campaign by actor-duo Prakash Raj and Simran.
“Nevertheless, there’s nothing more important than research to help a retailer make a decision that will change the course of his business,” informs Sathish Babu, Promoter, Univercell. Once the position the brand should take is decided and the need to have an expert person enhance brand impact is identified, then the rest can be left to the brand ambassador. “We chose actor Madhavan because he is a techie guy and a gizmo enthusiast and everybody loves him,” reflects Sathish, “and the impact has been great, sales are up by 40%!”
Today’s brand heroes or heroines have a larger-than-life role to play. Brand ambassadors create the pull and are a sure-shot formula for brand awareness. It is not a new phenomenon and brands of all categories have used the tool of a brand icon in their quest for success. But the key is awareness and brand ambassadors are the heroes in the field.
SANGEETHA RAJEESH
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