When Tanishq wanted to launch a consumer awareness campaign for its diamonds, it needed someone who could reach out to buyers looking for diamonds priced between Rs 999 and Rs 1 crore. The person had to be credible, acceptable across the country and memorable. The brand didn’t sweat much. It simply roped in Amitabh Bachchan to do the job. “Our research shows that jewellery buying is a collective family decision but men have the larger say. Women are price and design conscious, while men are value seekers. Hence, we needed a person who had a standing among a male audience. Amitabh was our sole choice,” says Sirish Chandrashekar, marketing manager, Tanishq.
It’s not just Tanishq that’s using males to connect with its customers. Almost all organised jewellers now have a male actor or celebrity endorsing their brands. The Mehul Choksi-run Gitanjali Group, which was once heavily dependent on female stars like Aishwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Katrina Kaif, has roped in Bollywood badshah Shahrukh Khan while Akshay Kumar endorses Kerala-based Mannapuram Gold.
Down south too, male actors are doing their bit to educate consumers about choosing quality gold. In the recent past, at least a dozen actors have joined the publicity department of well-known jewelers. Consider the list: Nagarjuna, Mahesh Babu, Venkatesh, Jr NTR, Jagapathi Babu, Madhavan, Vijay, Suriya, Prakash Raj, Shivaraj, Mammotty; they’re all there.
Unlike their female counterparts, who’d wear almost every piece of jewellery that was up for sale, the male ambassadors wear no jewels in the ads but subtly drive home the golden message. “It was difficult to choose between a male and a female ambassador. But the former has worked wonders for us,” says John Alukka, managing director of Jos Alukkas, which recently made Tollywood heart-throb Mahesh Babu its public face in Andhra Pradesh. Adds Kalyanaraman, chairman and managing director of Kalyan Jewellers, “Though women have always led the beauty quotient, we believe male brand ambassadors offer strong, positive and consistent influence over family decisions.”
The branded stores assert they offer superior quality products and are transparent in pricing. And that’s why they believe customers will not miss the message when actors like Nagarjuna and Jr NTR pop out of billboards, commercials and print ads advising customers to look for BIS Hallmark, rate tags and impurities when buying gold.
Though female actors continue to endorse jewellery, the players working with males believe their radical approach to branding will help customers separate the wheat from the chaff. “The choice of male actors over female counterparts has more to do with business strategy and brand marketing goals. Since our campaigns are information-based and not related to product designs, we zeroed in on male actors,” explains Kalyanaraman. Adds John: “It really depends on what you want to say. Our campaigns with Mahesh and Vijay have given us an advantage over others.” Insiders say the male actors’ longer shelf life (vis-vis the actresses) is a key reason for the jewellers’ decision.
“For a new entrant, getting noticed is a challenge. Having a male celebrity announce your entry is a good way to get identified,” says Raj Mohan Tella, CEO of Vishnu Mohan’s Sutras, a branding and marketing consulting firm. Tella also believes that customers don’t even remember the name of the brand endorsed by heroines as they’ve worked with so many. The men stand out, in contrast. The jewellers would like to think so. Owner Raj Mohan says Kalyan Jewellers has become synonymous with Nagarjuna in Andhra Pradesh as has Mannapuram Gold with Venkatesh.
Actor Nagarjuna has the last word. “Gold can offer you many things like expanding your collection and strengthening your financial portfolio. Kalyan gave me the opportunity to tell thousands of people about the value of buying gold not merely as a fashion statement but as a longtime investment. I firmly believe it is the key to one’s financial stability both now and in the future,” he says.