In the first half of 2024, celebrity endorsements took on a life of their own, and some of the top stars you’d expect to see in luxury or fitness ads are fronting categories that might leave you scratching your head. Here’s the kicker: M.S. Dhoni endorses 42 brands—from spices to ecom-gaming, while Akshay Kumar tops the charts for visibility at 22 hours a day.
In a country like India, where celebrities are worshiped, brands are seizing the opportunity to capitalize on this obsession. The logic? If Shah Rukh Khan can get you to buy an aerated soft drink, he can probably get you to switch laundry detergents too. This shift in celebrity endorsements from traditional luxury or high-end products to everyday items shows just how much influence these stars hold over the average consumer’s daily life.
According to the latest TAM AdEx (Jan-Jun '24) report, 32% of all ads on television featured celebrities, and more than 75% of these were dominated by film stars, followed by Athletes and Television Stars, who contributed 14% and 11%, respectively.
What’s even more fascinating is where these stars are being placed. For instance, the Food & Beverages (F&B) sector alone took up a whopping 28% of celebrity endorsements, with over half of all celebrity-endorsed ads falling under the top three sectors: Food & Beverages sector, Personal Care/Personal Hygiene, and Household Products.
Akshay Kumar was the most visible star, with an average visibility of 22 hours per day across all channels, followed by Shahrukh Khan with 20 hours per day through TV sponsorships.
In the F&B sector, male celebrities dominate, featuring in 60% of the ads. However, in the Personal Care sector, the spotlight shifts to women, who represent 65% of endorsements. Meanwhile, the ‘Ecom-Gaming’ category attracted the highest number of celebrity endorsements from various professions, closely followed by the ‘Spices’ category.
