Amitabh Bachchan defies ageism, returns as Dabur brand ambassador after a decade

The brand endorsement deal points to the versatile actor’s appeal among brands across categories despite his age. In July, Hansa Research’s Brand Endorser placed Amitabh Bachchan as the most recognized celebrity in the country, ahead of people like MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Akshay Kumar, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and other favourites who are younger than him and, perhaps, more active in their respective fields.

Not just that, for the year 2021 Bachchan jumped from number 9 the previous year to number 6 on the Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Report with a brand of $54.2 million. He was recently seen in a festive season campaign by Coca-Cola India’s mango drink Maaza; the actor is the face of several other leading brands such as clothing brand Manyavar, Kalyan Jewellers, ed-tech firm UpGrad and products for FMCG company Emami.

Meanwhile, the campaign for Dabur Red Paste, which Bachchan will endorse, is conceptualized by Ogilvy India and will hit television screens and will be live across different digital platforms, the company said.

Bachchan, with his high level of trust, popularity, credibility, and his unique ability to connect with both younger and older generations, perfectly embodies the brand values ​​of Dabur Red Paste, said Mohit Malhotra, CEO, Dabur India Ltd. “We welcome him to the Dabur family and are confident that this association will further strengthen the brand and help us build a better connect with our consumers,” Malhotra said.

Dabur Red Paste is the company’s largest and flagship toothpaste brand with sales touching ₹1,000 crore in the last fiscal. This is the company’s first attempt at roping in a celebrity to back the brand. In the past, Dabur has featured regional celebrities for other oral care brands such as Ravi Kishan for Lal Dant Manjan in markets of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Marketers point to brand Bachchan’s popularity to his on-screen journey that has seen him transition from the angry-young man to a more affable grand-fatherly figure that brands now leverage to instil consumer trust. This has helped Bachchan stay relevant to brands across categories and occasions.

“Amitabh Bachchan is the ‘Brand-father of India’ , as I call him. He has morphed from being the angry-young-man of yore to the flamboyant go-getter of the middle-years to the benign “dadaji” to date . When it comes to a choice of a star with a star value that is broad-spectrum and neutral, it is always Bachchan,” said Harish Bijoor, a business and brand-strategy expert.

Shrenik Gandhi, co-founder and CEO, White Rivers Media, said Bachchan represents trust and deep-rooted Indian values. “We have seen some fantastic results for brands that have been marketed by us which were endorsed by Mr. Bachchan. The energy he gets on the set is unparalleled and he is absolutely passionate about his craft,” he said.

Bachchan endorsed both Dabur Chyawanprash and Dabur honey till 2010. He was replaced by cricketer MS Dhoni for the former.

The move also points to Dabur’s aggression in its oral care portfolio where it competes with Colgate Palmolive India and Hindustan Unilever Ltd. Abhishek Jugran, vice president, marketing, Dabur India Ltd said the company has appointed Bachchan to take the brand to every Indian household. “We will be deploying an integrated campaign marketing across TV, Digital & out-of-home to drive preference and mindshare for Dabur Red Paste,” he added.

Dabur India’s toothpaste portfolio reported a 14.3% growth in FY22 with a 20 bps increase in market share. The company’s oral care portfolio comprises brands such as Dabur Red Paste, Dabur Babool, Dabur Meswak and Dabur Herb’l; it also operates in the toothpowder market with Dabur Lal Dant Manjan. The products come under the company’s home and personal care vertical that accounts for 47.2% of the company’s domestic India business.

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