Why birthday boy Aamir Khan is the preferred face for many brands

Bollywood’s Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan turned 54 on Thursday. Having spent almost three decades in the film industry, the actor has been recognised not only for his movies but also for his brand associations.

With several hits like ‘Lagaan’, ‘Dangal’, ‘Rang De Basanti’, ‘PK’ and ‘3 Idiots’ in his kitty, Aamir has been a favourite for brands and has experimented with endorsements too. 

Although, he is one of the preferred choices for most brands, Aamir doesn’t like to endorse more than one brand at a time.  He has been associated with several brands such as Coca-Cola, Samsung Mobiles, Godrej, Vivo, Snapdeal, Datsun and Tata Sky. Aamir has also been the face of Incredible India “Atithi Devo Bhavah” campaign for a long time and it was one of his most talked campaigns too.
 
Brand expert Aman Abbas, Co- founder, Commwiser Consultants says: “Aamir Khan works in few movies, which means he chooses the subjects and movies carefully. He is known to go after quality and not quantity. The same is true when it comes to brand endorsements. Besides working for some really big (and not necessarily luxury) brands such as Toyota and Samsung, he has also endorsed some meaningful campaigns like “Athithi Devo Bhavah”. This reflects ‘quality’, ‘meaningfulness’ and a bit of exclusivity are the attributes that brands get benefited from.”

In 2011, Aamir became the national brand ambassador of UNICEF to promote child nutrition. He was also a part of the government organised IEC campaign to raise awareness about malnutrition.

According to media reports, his association with Snapdeal earned him a jaw-dropping Rs 30 crore, making him the most expensive celebrity brand ambassador. He reportedly used to have a fee of Rs 5 to Rs 7 crore for each endorsement. 

During ‘Satyamev Jayate’, he made sure that none of his ads would be featured during the TV show which he was anchoring.

Tarvinderjit Singh, Executive Creative Director, Cheil India said: “The preponderance of marquee brands attached to Aamir is as much strategy as good fortune. Aamir Khan has been the rare permanence in the capricious world of fame and success. It’s only natural, therefore, that he has had the pick of the lot to choose from. But he has also played the smart game of meticulously constructing this image of a perfectionist.”

“Aamir’s choices of films have also added to his myth. His filmography has had a consistent slant towards the un-obvious just like his endorsement choices; something that the others have not managed,” Singh added.

According to brand expert N Chandramouli, “A brand and its endorser typically must match in stature and character for them to reinforce each other. Plus bigger the brand or the personality, the greater the penchant for association. Aamir has chosen very specific brands to associate with, and much like his movies, is highly selective in the brands that he endorses.”

In 2010, Aamir bagged a whopping deal of Rs 35 crore as a part of UAE's telecom giant Etisalat’s mobile contract and was the ambassador for three consecutive years.

On Aamir’s position in the advertisement world compared to new age celebrities, and how his brand value has changed in the last few years, Chandramouli said: “The biggest challenge endorsers face is that they have a short shelf-life. Everyone gets replaced eventually. The brands critically evaluate the endorsers that give them best VFM and use them, often building them from scratch by backing dark horses. I feel Aamir should have presence in more areas than cinema if he has to sustain his value as an endorser even for a few more years. We have seen greats like Sachin go into endorsement oblivion soon after his cricketing career stopped. If that can happen to him, then obsolence can happen to anyone.”

Brand Consultant Rana Pahwa says: “Aamir Khan as compared to the millennial celebrities has an upper edge as he brings a certain level of credibility and maturity right at the forefront. He is known as a perfectionist and has high regard. Therefore any brand would want to target a mature audience with him being the brand ambassador as compared to the new age celebrities who are known for being casual.”

“Aamir's charm and stability in the industry has earned him many laurels and would be the first choice for a brand who would want to sustain in the market as he seems more sophisticated,” Pahwa added.

On his birthday, we bring you some of his popular ads that made him big in the advertising fraternity.

COCA-COLA
Remember the famous tagline of Coca-Cola:  'Thanda Matlab Coca Cola'. The ad series started with Aamir and continued for many years. One of the iconic associations in the ad industry, he remained the brand ambassador of Coca-Cola for a decade.

DATSUN
Last year, Datsun India announced Aamir as the company's new brand ambassador in India. He was seen in the company's brand campaign "Experience Change" - a 360-degree multi-media campaign that went live during the festive season. 
 

GODREJ
In 2013, Godrej Group roped in Aamir for the campaign ‘Ideas that make life better'. It focused on enhancing the brand's emotive appeal by showcasing fresh ideas from within the Group to consumers. 
 

VIVO INDIA
In 2018, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo roped Aamir as the ambassador for India. He appeared in an integrated marketing campaign of the company, and featured in TV commercials. The actor has replaced actor Ranveer Singh who was the face of the smartphone brand for the last two years.

TATA SKY
In 2008, Direct-to-Home operator Tata Sky had associated with the actor as its brand face. The actor had been featured in many TV commercials promoting the product.