Elevating celebrity brand value through fan engagement mediums

Celebrities in India have always enjoyed god-like reverence. Fans have formed their own virtual communities (in some instances celebrities have also launched their own fan apps/pages), they create and share content around their favourite celebrity, and in a lot of instances, ape their idol’s choice of brands & products. 

The value that a celebrity brings to a brand he or she endorses is beyond belief. And brands have realized this. Celebrity campaigns feature extensively on marketing plans and command skyrocketing budgets. According to TAM Sports’ IPL 14 Advertising Report, the total number of celebrities seen in ad films during the ongoing sporting extravaganza, as compared to the 2019 edition, went up by 92% for the first four live matches.

 It is also interesting to note that research by the Indian Institute of Human Brands in mid-September said that at least 82% of youngsters in the 18–30 year age group said drug abuse by a celebrity made them ‘untrustworthy’, and that they would not buy a brand endorsed by such a celebrity. The pool of celebrities is ever-growing and the competition is stiff. To hold onto their position, celebrities need to play on various fronts. 

The most crucial one is fan engagement to ensure their following & universe of influence (which is what brands actually end up paying for!) are maintained at all costs. A dip in fan base will result in a dip in endorsement numbers + fee. So the math is simple. These spheres of influence are diverse and varied, and celebrities are paid to promote based on not only the quantity but also quality, geography, and demographics of followers. Fandom has done great things for micro, digital influencers who may not be in a typical Bollywood or sports A-lister profile but have a hardcore fan base that religiously follows them.

The rise of social media influencers on Instagram in this age is not by accident. Gen Z prefers to see real people in making the “Instafamous” accounts like fashion models, world travellers with seemingly normal lives, a goldmine for brands. Brands are leveraging these Instagram accounts for their large network of followers as well as their authenticity. 

Take for instance the rise of Bhuvan Bam who was recently announced as Myntra’s first digital brand ambassador. Bhuvan’s journey to stardom perfectly exemplifies the rise of a new kind of ‘digital’ celebrity that represents the interests of contemporary consumers. The number of celebrities per capita is rapidly increasing, paving a solid path to harness this exponential fan power and explore innumerable untapped opportunities.