India’s celebrity ad culture remains film-focused

Three in 10 TV ads in India last year featured celebrity endorsements and the majority of those came from film stars, according to a new report from TAM AdEx. 

The audience measurement company’s Celebrity Endorsement Report found that, among celebrity-endorsed ads, 85% featured film stars, and female actors were more prominent – in 46% of ads compared to 39% for male actors.

Why it matters

Marketers need to understand what approach works best in which channel. A recent study suggested brands were turning towards the use of micro-influencers on social media as they tend to have higher engagement rates. 

When it comes to TV, however, celebrities still have clout. In fact their use has increased in recent years: from a base year of 2020, celebrity-endorsed ads increased 44% in 2021 and 60% in 2022. 

Takeaways 

• Celebrity-endorsed ads account for between 7% and 10% of monthly ad volumes, appearing to peak around the beginning and end of the IPL.
• Sports stars account for just 11% of celebrity-endorsed ad volumes. MS Dhoni was the most visible sports person and also the celebrity endorsing the most brands (52). 
• Akshay Kumar (pictured) topped the list of the most visible celebrities through endorsements done on TV – visible for an extraordinary 36 hours every day across all channels, almost twice as much as Vidya Balan, the next on the list. 
• More than half the ads endorsed by celebrities fall into three categories: Food & Beverages (26%), Services (13%) and Personal Care/Personal Hygiene (13%).

Sourced from TAM AdEx

[Video still: Akshay Kumar for Berger Paints]