How Celebrities Endorsement Are Changing the Digital Space
5 Dariya News
11-Jul-2024
When actress Leela Chitnis appeared in an advertisement for Lux Soaps, it marked the first known celebrity endorsement in India. More than eight decades later, we see celebrity faces all around us. You see them across all media, endorsing all types of products and services including online games.
In India, the top celebrities with the most endorsement deals are film actors and actresses. Sports personalities are highly sought after by Indian marketers. Followed again by actors and actresses, this time from the television media. Regular gamers may have noted that many leading gaming platforms are roping celebrities to endorse their brands. A popular celebrity with pan-India appeal associated with a rummy platform can help its brand recall, and even increase user base.
A Look at The Increasing Celebrity Presence
Assembling famous people is one of the easiest ways for brands to grab the attention of their audience. Some may say that it is not the only option. If the product is irresistibly good, then it ends up finding its customers anyway.
Besides, creative and intelligent ad campaigns can help brands find their target audience, even without a celebrity presence. One might recall the popular Vodafone ads with the lovable Zoo Zoo characters. Or Amul’s animation-based print and Out of Home ads. But then, nothing succeeds like success. Hence, the tendency among marketers to rope in successful people as brand ambassadors.
Take the Dream11 ad campaigns for instance. They regularly feature top Indian cricketers, sometimes pairing them up with former cricket greats like Mohinder Amarnath and Kris Srikkanth, and even movie star Suniel Shetty. It is an expensive lineup, to say the least, but effective nevertheless. A similar strategy is used by other fantasy cricket apps like BalleBaazi tying up with Yuvraj Singh.
A list actors like Ajay Devgn, Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan, Anil Kapoor, Shahid Kapoor have endorsed rummy and poker apps recently. Also it is not always about getting the A list actors or cricketers to endorse your brands. Retired cricketers, character actors from the film industry, models and starlets have had their brush with gaming endorsements. From Anita Hassanandani to Nargis Fakhri, or even Amy Jackson, a British model with Indian movie links, has been seen in gaming commercials.
Why Celebrity Endorsement Is Important in Any Industry
If the brand has the budget, getting a celebrity to endorse it is the most convenient way forward. These associations not only influence sales figures in the short term but can also boost the long-term brand image. When Nike wanted to break into the American market, they chose basketball star Michael Jordan to do what tennis and track stars did for them in the rest of the world.
The appearance of a celebrity is seen by many as a seal of their approval of the brand. It can convince people to choose the brand over any rival brand. Besides, getting associated with a popular celebrity also makes the brand ‘cool’ in the eyes of the viewer. It grabs the attention of people who, until now, were not paying attention to your brand. For fans and admirers of the endorsing celebrity, it increases their trust in the brand. All of these factors inspire common people to engage in a long-term association with the brand. Even if it doesn’t, a celebrity endorsement raises brand awareness for years to come.
Gaming Influencers and Celebrity Gamers: Redefining Celebrity Endorsements
It is proven that having a celebrity to endorse is an effective way to connect with gamers. However, gaming platforms are also innovating in their ways of connecting with their target audience. This has given rise to a niche group of homegrown celebrities in the gaming community.
Influencer marketing has reached the gaming industry as well. Popular celebrity gamers and influencers add a new perspective to the connections between brands and gamers. At 53%, gamers are one of the most loyal customer bases across all industries. Popular gamers have a massive following on platforms like YouTube. Many of them earn additional income by integrating gaming brands into their live streams. The social gaming app WinZO was associated with celebrity YouTuber CarryMinati (Ajay Nagar) two years ago in one such deal. While WinZO had 75 million users at that point, Mr Nagar had 50 million followers across social media.
It is one thing to see a movie star endorse a rummy app, quite another to see a pro gamer play and stream it live. The relatability factor rises even more, as the audience can relate to a fellow gamer (although celebrity) at a much closer level.
Must Watch Games
Let us admit that we find it difficult to take our eyes off if a celebrity is on the screen. This instant attention does help brands to raise their profile and establish a lasting brand awareness. As the gaming industry grows to cross $3 billion in worth, it is only natural that the advertising budgets will increase. For a celebrity, big or small, it is a good time to be famous and an even better time to be associated with a gaming platform.
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