Yet another company falls for the brand ambassdor bait. After Nerolac Paints and then Dabur, it is now the turn of Cadbury’s to rope in the Big B as brand ambassdor.
To begin with, I have never understood how any brand justifies the cost of having a brand ambassdor – and what he or she does for the brand. It is not as if there is ever any ‘syngery’ betwen the values of the brand and what the ambassdor stands for.
And in any case, in India, where the bulk of the market is in the rural areas, what exactly does such a concept mean? Where brands such as Kadberys and Caddburys exist (I have seen these with my own eyes – a survey in any shop in rural India will spring many more surprises). Where people point to the pack and ask for the product (why else do sprious brands exist – because people cannot read and they identify a brand by the colours on the pack and the sound of the name). Where distribution is the most important P of all (taking a leaf of Kotler’s Ps of marketing).
Given the fact that more and more marketers are focussing on rural markets for their volumes (including Cadbury’s), what difference will Amitabh Bacchan make to the brand?
Have a look at this picture to understand what I mean when I say that a ‘brand’ has little value….. This was shot in a small shop on the Tamilnadu – Karnataka border….. Truly, it happens only in India !