Celebrity brand endorsements is not a new thing in Indian advertising industry. We all have memories of seeing our favourite Bollywood and Cricket stars encouraging viewers to buy a certain brand or product.
What makes celebrity endorsement so important is the kind of response and impact brands see on the audience after associating with celebs. Even after having so many benefits, this strategy is failing to help struggling car brands in increasing sales. Let’s read some cases that prove the same
Tata Motors: Hrithik Roshan
Tata Motors associated with Hrithik Roshan to market the Tigor, a compact sedan rivaling Maruti Suzuki Dzire. Tata had said that this is a long-term association but as per the available source, the average monthly sales of Tigor during the October to February period have surprisingly declined to 2,091 units, a 10 percent fall year-on-year.
Renault: Ranbir Kapoor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28bzhMjVLpw
Same happened with Renault when Ranbir Kapoor’s association for models like the Duster, Kwid and Captur did little effect on the French car maker in India.
As per available data, Renault’s sales during the April-February FY19 stood 23% lower year-on-year at 72,527.
Datsun: Aamir Khan
In October 2018, Datsun chose Aamir Khan to be the face of their new campaign. 5 months later, Datsun’s sales have fallen to a monthly average of 2,173 units between October 2018 and February this year. This is a whopping 29% fall compared to the average monthly sales before appointing Aamir.
Mahindra: Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor
Although this is not for a car brand but Mahindra Two Wheelers experienced the same with Aamir and Kareena Kapoor to endorse the Stallio and Rodeo respectively. The company is on the verge of shutting down its two-wheelers business and instead focusing on Jawa, BSA and Yezdi brands.
We believe that Indians are more keen to search on google and read automobile related blogs before buying cars and bikes. The target audience in this niche is highly educated as compared to other industries and brands should look to advertise their vehicles with help of these digital influencers on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
What do you feel about this? Do let us know your opinion in the comments section.
