Mumbai: Celebrity advertising is growing at a very fast pace in India.
In the year 2005, of the nearly 3000 commercials aired, 367 starred celebrities.
While Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Sachin Tendulkar are some of the most relied on endorsers, ad makers are discocvering that there are many new stars on the horizon that can be used for endorsements.
Bushra Bhushan decided to crystal ball gaze and see which new stars could be burning the brightest in 2006.
The latest sensation from the cricketing world is Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He has done two endorsements with several more in the offing and earns upto Rs 30 lakh per year for each of them.
The advertising industry says that Dhoni is well suited for rugged and masculine products.
It's a busy year ahead for the cricketer as the cricket team has three high profile tournaments already scheduled for 2006.
"He is the wild man from Jharkhand. That's the kind of player you associate with trucks, with ghee, with multi vats tablets. Something that will give you strength and stamina," says ace ad-man Prahlad Kakkar.
And from the Hindi film industry, the next big endorser could well be Abhishek Bachchan.
While actors Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham have been raking in good moolah this year, Abhishek landed only one new endorsement — that of Ford Fiesta.
But it could be just the beginning. He already gets close to Rs 2.5 crore per endorsement, and according to the advertising industry his asking rate could go up and he could get as many as six to seven brands next year.
And while his daddy's brand personality is all about credibility and universal appeal, Abhishek's is clearly sex appeal — a good fit for categories like clothing and niche accessories.
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