Brands & their shining stars in the South

It is not a new idea in marketing. Celebrity endorsement has been around for a very long time. Popular faces have an overwhelming influence on the life of people and brands have been smart enough to cash in on this sentiment. From products to political candidates, there are umpteen endorsements that our celebrities do.

By roping in celebrities as their ambassadors, brands get a ‘face’. This marketing strategy does not only increase sales or market share, but sometimes it can even change the fate of the brand.

The history of brand endorsements goes back to 1760s. The first brand that used a celebrity for endorsement was pottery manufacturer Josiah Wedgwood and Sons. They used royal endorsements as a marketing device to promote their products. In 1930s, athletes were the trending endorsers. Towards 1940s, brands slowly moved to movie stars. Later, with the introduction of colour television, TV personalities and entertainers also started getting endorsement offers.

In the Indian context, celebrity endorsement is one of the biggest marketing strategies that brands follow. And when it comes to celebrity endorsement, film stars are the most sought-after personalities. Take a look at the brand endorsements done by South Indian movie stars.

Kannada

The fourth largest film industry in India, the Kannada industry produces more than 200 films a year. Some of the Kannada stars that enjoy a high brand value are Puneeth Rajkumar, Shiv Rajkumar, Sudeep and Upendra.

Puneeth Rajkumar



Puneeth has done endorsements for Karnataka Milk Federation's Nandini Milk products, LED Bulb Project, 7 Up (PepsiCo), F-Square, Dixcy Scott, Malabar Gold and Manappuram. He was the brand ambassador of the Indian Premier League’s Royal Challengers Bangalore team. He also owns a team in Premier Futsal, Bengaluru 5.

Shiva Rajkumar



Star India signed Shiva Rajkumar as their official brand ambassador for the Kannada broadcast of IPL in March. He is also the brand ambassador for Kalyan Jewellers in Karnataka. Rajkumar was also the brand ambassador of Royal Challengers Bangalore for the just-concluded 11th season of Indian Premiere League.

Sudeep



Sudeep was the brand ambassador of jewellery retail chain Joy Alukkas. He has been associated with two government entities-- Bangalore Traffic Police Department and Income Tax Department

Malayalam

The Malayalam film industry is known for its story-driven plots and quality of movies. The major endorsers in the industry are Mohanlal, Mammotty, Prithviraj, Dulquer Salman and Manju Warrier.

Mohanlal



Mohanlal is considered as one of the finest actors of his times and has endorsed variety of brands in his 40-year-long career. He is the brand ambassador for MCR Dhotis, Nirapara Food products, Kairali TMT, Kannan Devan and Lloyd home appliances. Previously, he has endorsed Malabar Gold & Diamonds, Tata Sky, Hotstar etc.

Mammootty



Mammootty is the goodwill ambassador of Akshaya Project, an e-literacy campaign of the Kerala government. Presently, he is the brand ambassador of South Indian Bank. He had been associated with Induleka soaps and was the brand ambassador for Kerala Volleyball League.

Prithviraj Sukumaran



Prithviraj, who is known for his outspoken attitude, is the brand ambassador for Kalyan Silks. He is also associated with Asset Homes. Recently, he was in the news when he announced the launch of his production house, Prithviraj Productions, in collaboration with Sony Pictures India.

Dulquer Salman



Dulquer Salman entered the Malayalam film industry with tag of being Mammoty’s son. But in a very short span of time, he has created a space of his own. He is the brand ambassador of Otto shirts, the flagship product of Pothys.

Manju Warrier



Popularly known as the lady superstar of Malayalam, Manju made a comeback into the Malayalam film industry after a hiatus of 14 years by acting in a Kalyan Jewellers commercial with Amitabh Bachchan. She is the brand ambassador of Kalyan Jewellers, Merriboy Icecreams, Ujala. Manju is considered to be one of the highly paid actors in the advertising and film industry in Kerala

Tamil

The Tamil industry has always faced the allegation of producing hero-oriented movies in which actresses do not have major roles. But when it comes to brand endorsements, Tamil actresses have taken the front seat. While big stars like Rajnikanth, Kamalhassan, Vijay, Ajith, Suriya are not endorsing any brands presently, actresses such as Jyotika, Amala Paul, Nayantara, Samanta and Shruti Hassan are the major endorsers from the Tamil film industry.

Jyothika



Jyothika is the brand ambassador of Zee Tamil. She has also endorsed Saravana Stores Thanga Nagai Maligai.

Amala Paul



Amala Paul endorsed Joy Alukkas. She is also the brand ambassador for Chandrika soap.

Nayantara



Nayantara is the South Indian brand ambassador of Tata Sky. She was also the ambassador for GRT Jewellery.

Shruti Haasan



Shruti Hassan is the brand ambassador for Asian Paints and consumer durable company Lloyd.

Sneha and Prasanna



The star couple of Tamil film industry are the brand ambassadors for Comfort Fabric conditioner and Complan.

Telugu

Telugu film industry holds the Guinness World Record for having the largest film production facility in the world, Ramoji Film City. Stars such as NTR Jr, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu and Nagarjuna have high brand value.

Mahesh Babu



Mahesh Babu is referred in the media as the Prince of Tollywood and has been an ambassador for a dozen of South Indian brands. He is endorsing Thumsup, Rainbow Hospitals, Paragon, Amrutanjan Strong, Yupp TV and Abhi Bus.

Allu Arjun



The only South Indian actor with 1.25 crore followers on Facebook, Allu Arjun endorses Colgate Max Fresh, Lot Mobile, 7UP, Joy Alukkas.

NTR Jr



NTR Jr is the brand ambassador for Malabar Gold, Himani Navratna Hair Oil & Talc Powder, Boro Plus Powder and Zandu Balm. He was also the brand ambassador of IPL 2018.