DP & Bebo most visible faces on TV/ads. Salman #1 in print news.

Deepika Padukone, who entered the film world in 2007, has emerged as the most visible face on Indian television, endorsing over 16 brands, from Kellogg's and Axis Bank to Coca-Cola to HP.

However, when it comes to hitting the headlines in the print media, Salman Khan has topped the ranks in terms of PR Buzz'.

According to Celebrity Endorsement data from TAM AdEX, the advertising monitoring unit of TAM, Padukone emerged as the top celebrity, garnering a 5.2 per cent share of the ad volume between January and September this year.

Indeed, the top two celebrities in the TV ad space are female actors. Padukone is followed by Kareena Kapoor. Despite this, female actors' share in overall ad volumes still stood at 41 per cent, a tad lower than their male counterparts (42 per cent).

Swati Iyer, Partner & Business Head, Bling Entertainment Solutions, said that the real change being seen today is that categories such as banking and luxury cars have veered away from the usual male celebrities and are choosing women, as it makes them look progressive and open.

The other popular faces on TV ads during this period include Salman Khan, Virat Kohli, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif and MS Dhoni.

Anirban Das Blah, CEO and MD of CAA-Kwan, an entertainment and talent management firm, said that Padukone is a talented actor and has emerged as a youth icon.

"It's not just about the number of brands that she is endorsing, but also the fact that she is the top actress associated with the best of brands that are making significant marketing spends," he added.

Prabhat Choudhary, Head of film marketing firm Spice, said that Padukone not only is a talented actress, but is also an avid sports enthusiast, thus becoming a role model for young girls.

But the print news space continues to be ruled by men. According to Eikona, the Earned Media Planning, Audit and Advisory division of TAM Media, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Amitabh Bachchan remained the top three "buzziest celebrities" between January and September, followed by Padukone and Priyanka Chopra.

Talking about Celeb Buzz data, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Senior VP - Eikona, said: "Unlike a corporate or product, celebrity names and brands have to largely depend on news (non-advertising) buzz to create and sustain their own brand recall."