Birthday boy Akshay Kumar keeps winning brands & hearts

Celebrating his 55th birthday today, Akshay Kumar is amongst the most loved and admired actors in the country currently. His image of a fitness enthusiast, a responsible nationalist, and a complete family man makes him the true alpha, someone people could aspire to be. And that’s possibly the reason why not just movie makers but also the brand world loves him.

According to the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report 2021, Kumar is the third most valuable celebrity in the country with a brand value of USD 139.6 million (Rs 11.12 hundred crore approx).

On his birthday e4m takes a look back at his journey in the brand world and what makes him popular among the marketers. 

A Bankable Star 

According to Hansa Research Executive Vice President Ashish Karnad, Kumar leads over many popular stars when it comes to brand valuation indicating that his hold on masses is much stronger. He says, “Akshay Kumar is one of the most likeable actors in the film industry. He has great brand value and holds strong credibility in the advertising world. He is also looked at as one of the most sought-after and trustworthy celebrities. If we observe his choice of advertisements, he is one of the rare actors to endorse a different and wide range/category of brands as compared to other actors. According to Hansa’s recent Brand Endorser Report 2022, Akshay Kumar has been ranked at no. 5 in the all India list of actors (males and females).” 

What drives this popularity is that Kumar is the modern world personification of an ideal man, as Grapes Co-founder & CEO Shradha Agarwal quips, “He is highly admired in the industry for his image as a fitness enthusiast, promoter of a balanced work ethic, and his role as a complete family man. The credibility he has earned over the years plays a significant role in appealing to the masses for which he is a top choice amongst the brands. It is his choice of work that has earned him loyalty as a trustworthy and reliable celebrity.” 

Evolving With Times 

One critical aspect that has helped Kumar stay relevant is his penchant to evolve with time. He started off as an action hero, moved into the world of comedy, and most recently has developed a Manoj Kumar-like nationalist persona. All of this reflected well in his brand associations as well. His first-ever brand endorsement, probably, came with Red & White cigarettes in 1998. 

Brand-Nomics MD Viren Razdan further elaborates, “In the early days, Akshay built his straight-as-an-arrow agile healthy fit guy, his Pepsi Hammer AD was the first endorsement perhaps that made him leap into the cool league. Over the years, AK became the new Khiladi. And his personality was more representative of the Harpic campaign - Quick Action no-nonsense and continued in a similar track of monotony.” 

In between all this and beyond, Akshay Kumar remained brands’ favourite as he penetrated across categories and income groups with his choice of cinema. He worked with brands right from FMCG to automotive, to snacking, to lifestyle categories.  In 2021, he remained among the top endorsers for Personal Care & Toiletries, Real Estate & Construction, F&B, and Clothing categories, as highlighted in the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report. 

Kumar has also shown a penchant for the growth of start-ups in the country. He has even mentioned in some of his interviews that the start-up culture has opened up new opportunities for brands and celebrities alike. He has also worked with brands like FAU-G and GOQii as an ambassador and also a mentor, in case of the former. 

Above The Controversies 

While Kumar has largely stayed away from controversies – barring a few like when his wife, actor & author Twinkle Khanna unbuttoned his jeans on runway during a Levi’s fashion show and the most recent a Pan Masala ad fiasco – his missteps have never resulted in a dip in his brand valuation or popularity. 

As Agarwal notes, “Akshay Kumar is a brand himself and with a huge fan following. His image remains unaffected even against such controversies. The recent controversy of his involvement with the pan masala brand. He was very sensible to take the troll in a positive light and controlled the damage by immediately issuing an apology for disheartening his fans. He even vowed to donate the earnings from the ad to a social cause and promised to be mindful of his future choices. Taking responsibility for the situation and apologizing only enhanced his brand value by instilling more respect for him amongst his fans.” 

Even the dim performance of his recent films at the box office doesn’t seem to shake his brand value. Infectious Advertising Head of Copy Chirag Raheja had earlier told e4m, “In my humble opinion, the brand Akshay Kumar is far bigger than any of the roles he plays. Having been in the industry for so long, people resonate with his values and intent and the things he stands for (or against). I don’t think his brand value should fall because of one misfired shot. Anyway, he does three or four films a year, so if people perceive him based on his last film, he’ll have ample opportunities to redefine himself. Summing up, I believe he is already a legend, and will continue to drive memorability for any brand he endorses.” 

However, Razdan feels that it surely kicked a hiccup in Kumar’s stocks, “Recently, his Stay Healthy Stay fit philosophy too took a punch with the Masala endorsement, a quick apology and the campaign continues. So, the Khiladi needs to reinvent the game, fatigue seems to be catching up.” 

But his stakes still remain high in the brand-verse with some 30-odd endorsements running with brands across categories, including the likes of Karnad concludes, “We feel he will remain constant as a brand endorser and will continue to hold the same value for many years to come.” 

With inputs from Medha Jha & Tanya Dwivedi