Advertisers may have gone slow for a while on endorsements for controversy’s favourite child Salman Khan, but they have literally jumped on to the ‘brandwagon’ of his Eid release, Sultan. Is it a safer proposition for brands to associate short-term with a Salman movie than have him as their brand ambassador in the long run?
By Simran Sabherwal
(with inputs from Sharmishtha Neogy and Samarpita Banerjee)
Sultan – literally translating to authority and ruler - is a title that sits comfortably on the shoulders of actor Salman Khan. But he is also controversy’s favourite child, and it is a fact that advertisers have gone slow on roping him in to endorse their brands in recent months. However, his latest film Sultan, produced by Aditya Chopra under the Yash Raj Films (YRF) banner, has seen as many as nine advertisers jump on to the bandwagon with brand tie-ups and in-film integration. So, do advertisers find it a safer proposition to associate short-term with a Salman movie than have him as their brand ambassador which entails more risk by way of a longer association?
WHY A SALMAN-STARRER
Eyeballs and potential reach – that is what advertisers are after and a Salman Khan film guarantees the advertiser the attention of the ‘Sultan’s’ huge legion of die-hard fans, who ensure a blockbuster opening. Add to this mix an Eid release, a festival that has now become synonymous with Salman’s big ticket films, and you have a guaranteed winner on hand. For the record, Sultan collected a whopping Rs 73.74 crore in India within just two days of its release.
While Salman as the lead ensures reach, brands also get to associate and leverage brand Salman at a reasonable cost. As Salman is also seen to be volatile, unpredictable and carrying a lot of baggage, Sultan allows advertisers to associate with him for a short duration and not for a longer time period if he were to be their brand ambassador, particularly since his legal woes still hang as the Sword of Damocles over him.
As for the money put in by advertisers, it’s more about commitment to media spending to promote the movie than just cash paid to the producer. The cash component tends to be very low - around Rs 30 lakh to a crore - but the media spending starts at a crore and goes up to anything between Rs 5-10 crore. “Most brands today prefer a marketing tie-up. You get a certain amount of reach - it’s just easier, and you piggy-back on the stars,” says Anirban Das Blah, CEO of CAA Kwan, which manages celebrity endorsements. 
THE BRAND TIE-UPS
Sultan has a sports theme set primarily in a rural setting in North India, and the subject presents many opportunities for brand placement. This has been utilized by brands like Timex, Relispray, Force, Videocon, Astral Pipes, Micromax, Escort Tractors, CP Plus and Paras Ghee, which have associated with the film. Usually, YRF restricts brand association with its movies to not more than three or four brands, believing that its core audience comes to watch the movie and not see a celebrity endorse products. However, Sultan is an exception. Says Manan Mehta, VP, Marketing & Merchandising, YRF, “We are promoting the character Sultan as an underdog wrestler, so we need to see to it that our brand partners resonate the same idea and do not promote themselves as Sultan of A or B brand. The product has to have a role in the story for us to consider a tie-up.”
For watch brand Timex, the association is a perfect fit, given the connect between Timex’s focus on fitness and Sultan’s essence. Timex released a video showcasing the actor’s journey from Salman to Sultan, in which the movie’s director Ali Abbas Zafar talks about Salman’s intense training with Timex Ironman Sleek 150, and how features like stopwatch with 150 Lap Memory, Interval Timer, Target Pacer & Hydration Alerts helped him get the Ironman wrestling avatar. Says Anupam Mathur, Head - Sales and Marketing, Timex India, “Our focus is always on engaging with customers through the right channels - be it in-film placements or outside integration. It is always important to look at platforms which will communicate our message right, just like our partnership with YRF... The fact that Salman Khan is playing the character of Sultan helps us justify this association better, since he is extremely focused towards an active life, like Timex.”
RESONATING WITH SULTAN
Escort Tractors is a brand integrated in the movie and its campaign talks about the credibility of the product, its mileage and strength, thus resonating with Sultan, the wrestler. According to Sharad Gupta, Brand Communication Head, Escorts Limited, “The association is a great fit for our brand. Our products provide agricultural solutions and fit well into the entire movie construct. The script was relevant for our product. Salman Khan is popular in these areas, across all sections.”
Meanwhile, Astral Pipes and Force Motors have been showcased as sponsors of wrestling events. For Astral Pipes, North India is an important market and its brand proposition, ‘Strong Nahin, Astral Strong’ connects with the spirit of the film. Says Kairav Engineer, Sr. Business Development Manager, Astral Pipes, “We have a well-thought-out strategy in place to market the brand pan-India. We are very confident that the branding will have an instant connect with the audience. We have seen that the movie is a perfect connotation for us as Salman Khan is also our brand ambassador.”
Relispray, the pain-relieving spray brand from MidasCare Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, is used by Salman in the movie and it also has an outside tie-up with the film. Paras Ghee is used to depict the North Indian culture of consuming ghee in the film. In order to push its product, the brand also ran a contest, in which winners would get a chance to meet ‘Sultan’. Elsewhere, mobile phones and electronics manufacturer Micromax has launched a TVC featuring a dialogue from the film, in which actor Anushka Sharma tells Salman Khan not to show off in English. The brand has connected this to its new campaign #AngreziKoAngutha for the Micromax Unite 4 series.
In the film, Salman plays a Videocon d2h sales and service franchisee and the brand says that the tie-up is an innovative and unique way to take brand Videocon d2h to India’s hinterland. This in-film placement is an extension of the brand’s latest campaign of ‘Khushiyon ki Chatri’. To amplify the association, Videocon d2h has undertaken a 360-degree campaign to create an impact for the upcoming DAS - IV digitization towns, as these areas are highly influenced by Hindi cinema. Talking about the association, Saurabh Dhoot, Executive Chairman, Videocon d2h says, “Our association with Sultan reinforces our commitment to bring wholesome family entertainment to every household in India. This will aid our connection with markets in the heartland of India which is a key focus for us.”
‘BEING’ SALMAN
Salman has been a star since Maine Pyar Kiya released way back in 1989 and has held his place among the Khan trio - including Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan - with a hit every year. However, he was considered the most temperamental and controversial courtesy his bad-boy image, with reports of alleged abuse and multiple court cases and by the mid-2000s, Khan’s stock at the box office was sliding.
All this changed with his first Eid release in 2009 – ‘Wanted’ – with Salman in an action avatar. It also crossed the magical Rs 100 crore mark. Eid soon came to mean a Salman movie for his fans and Dabangg, Bodyguard, Ek Tha Tiger, Kick and Bajrangi Bhaijaan last year (all released on Eid) helped cement his status as a superstar.
Another turning point was when Reshma Shetty, Managing Director, Matrix India Entertainment Consultants started to manage his career. Shetty is widely regarded as turning around the bad-boy image to the philanthropic ‘bhai’ with the big heart. When most brands weren’t keen to touch Salman, Shetty was instrumental in getting him brand endorsements. Another masterstroke was Salman’s charitable trust, Being Human, which resurrected his image.
Today, Khan endorses brands like Thums Up, Relaxo, Astral Pipes, Suzuki Motorcycles, PN Gadgil Jewellers and Wheel. His estimated fee per endorsement is Rs 1.5 crore. However, he trails behind Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan who charge an estimated Rs 4 crore and Rs 2-3 crore respectively for the same job. He is also one of the highest paid hosts on television, and is the face of the popular reality show ‘Bigg Boss’ on Colors.
Commenting on Khan’s controversial nature and its effect on the brands he endorses, Manish Porwal, Managing Director, Alchemist Marketing & Talent Solutions says, “Brand Salman Khan is controversial in nature and the brands which take him as endorsers are totally fine with it. He is not a favourite as an endorser, and has got a small brand portfolio as compared to stars like Amitabh Bachchan. His entertainment value is high, but not his equation with brands.”
