Who has a better recall proposition?
Enkayaar, Bollywood Trade News Network
A Cricketer or a Film Star! Inspite of the fact that Hero Honda as a company has been sponsoring various cricket tournaments its brand ambassador even during the hot shot matches has been a Hrithik Roshan underlining the fact that he has got a much larger recall value than a cricketer. Just a few years ago, there was this advertisement released where all the cricketers, including Sachin and Dravid were included in the part of the campaign, and had much of footage, but an Amitabh Bachchan was included in the advertisement and he had become a more visible face of the campaign than all the other cricketing stars packaged together. Who can forget the Coke series of Aamir Khan, though Sourav Ganguly was the brand ambassador for Coke as well? It is altogether a different matter that when he became a brand ambassador for Pepsi, the campaign was designed that sort of emotionally touched the chord with the viewer about Sourav's untimely ouster from the cricket team. It is altogether a different matter that now the Indian public has again forgot the dada, but an Aamir Khan still rules the roost and commands the highest premium.
The film stars are preferred choice over the sports stars, because they have longevity over their sports brethren and their fortunes do not have the tendency to oscillate and fluctuate from a match to match but the same can be experienced in rare cases from a Friday to Friday. Even then, this kind of aversion, which is being experienced against the present crop of cricketers endorsing the products, is seldom experienced against a film star. The film stars drop out only if they are not giving a consistent performance over a period of year. During the din before the current world cup, there was a din among the companies to lap up cricket stars, but the unceremonious debacle of the Indian team has meant that the stars have come back into the reckoning and Shah Rukh Khan has emerged as the biggest beneficiary. The choice between a cricketer and a film star would tilt towards a film star owing to his brand recognition on a larger scale, but the economics of hiring a star is what tilts the balance in favour of the cricketer. However, if one were to undertake a comparative study of the endorsements that are done of the international products, and the national products and co-relating it with the film stars and cricketers, it would be found that in 9 out of 10 cases the film star would be the preferred choice to endorse an international product, be it the cosmetics, or the toiletries, and leaving aside the soft drinks. Take the example of Reid & Tailor, endorsed by AB, Tag Heur watches, Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra, the car segment while the Indian car Maruti is endorsed by a common man, Santro piggy backs on Shah Rukh Khan's back. The list is endless. What tilt the balance in favour of the film stars are their salability and the consistency in performance. It is the salability factor as a result of which Neetu Chandra of TRAFFIC SIGNAL fame has been selected as the brand ambassador of UNICEF, while this opportunity eludes the cricket star. Even in the social endorsement the film stars rule, and wherever a cricket comes, he would be as a team with the film stars. The boom in the celebrity endorsement has been fueled by the advent of Internet, which is satiating the thirst of the Indian public about them, and it also promotes the familiarity with the star, which is difficult to attain with a cricketer as the viewer is able to communicate with the film star in the anonymity of a cinema hall and the same is not attainable with a cricket star.
Besides, the film star is able to spread his fragrance around, so one finds that the film stars also endorse personalized fragrances, which has not happened in the case of a cricket star so far, while Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and a Shah Rukh Khan have already launched a personal fragrance. The launch of a personalized fragrance is the process whereby one can have a control over the image of the self and is also a potent medium to announce the power that the stars command.
http://www.glamsham.com/movies/features/07/apr/11_neetu_chan dra_shah_rukh_khan_hrithik_roshan.asp
Yash Raj's CHAK DE INDIA , starring Shah Rukh Khan and Vidya Malavade, has been kept away from the media glare. Except for the fact that it is based on India's National game hockey, and that SRK plays the coach of a women's team, not much is known or heard. The only official communique from Yash Raj has been in the form of the film's posters, available on their official website. 
