TOI: Soap stars get branded-Priyal

Prime time telly hotties are now emerging as the hot, new favourites in the celeb brand endorsers' league

The commercial breaks in between all the saas bahu drama are springing up 'small' surprises. So Hina Khan (Akshara from Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai) is endorsing tea, Rithvik Dhanjani(Arjun of Pavitra Rishta) outsmarts a rich guy in a bike ad, Sakshi Tanwar advocating the healthy benefits of cornflakes, Barun Sobti (Arnav Singh Raizada of Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon?) vrooming in a cool bike, Ram Kapoor recommending the timely filing of IT returns, Priyal Gor (Manyata from Dekha Ek Khwab) craving for a no-marks acne cream, the lead stars of Mrs Kaushik Ki Paanch Bahuein - Mukul Harish and Ragini Nandwani promoting a shaving cream, Sachin Shroff espousing the benefits of a rose drink, Aamir Ali and Sanjeeda Sheikh are championing the ad-vantages of a room freshner, while Aishwarya Sakhuja (Toasty of Saas Bina Sasural) is selling chocolates, Anuj Sachdeva talking about the benefits of a fairness cream. The telly brigade seems to have joined the brandwagon in a big way. The shift is now from the larger than life film stars to 'so very part of our world' telly stars. 'Small' is the flavour in the big mad world of ads.

Ask industry bigwigs about why TV stars are such hot favourites on the ad circuit and ad guru Santosh Desai says, "These days, many brands prefer non-film celebrity oriented endorsements. It could be a model, a TV star or a social celebrity too who can carry a brand on his/her shoulders. So, it involves less money and receives good response from viewers." Agrees adman Prahlad Kakar, "Although, Bollywood stars endorsing the brands remains the top priority for most brands, TV stars too are finding their groove."

What makes brands turn to telly stars? "Audiences relate to TV actors who are part of successful shows. Besides TV stars normally charge between '5 lakhs-30 lakhs; on the other hand, film stars will cost between a '1 crore and '3 crore (or even more). So why not pitch in a TV star instead," says Kakar.

For the telly actors, it's a boon. Actor Priyal Gor says, "I have gained more popularity with TV commercials as well as print ads. Not only that I got offers for TV soaps but also film offers from big production houses. And, a TVC is altogether a brilliant experience." Actor Mukul Harish adds, "I did a channel oriented campaign. As it was run on sister-concern channels too, it helped my serial as well as character gain more publicity. Ultimately, if it is giving me a more solid fan base, I would definitely love to be the part of it."

For some, it has been other way round too. Says Rithvik Dhanjani, "I was doing TV commercials prior to acting in daily soaps. For me, daily soaps happened because I was part of TVC of leading brands. And now when I'm doing a soft drink campaign, people are recognizing me more because of my role in Pavitra Rishta. So, I feel both are inter-related." So can they actually cash on this ad-world opportunity, to which Aishwarya Sakhuja shares, "I've done a couple of ads with my co-actor Ravi Dubey and a chocolate ad campaign. I see it as a good opportunity as many can recognize me now. I don't know how far I will gain in future but to be associated with good brands definitely benefits an actor. And the money is good."

As many TV stars seem to be slowly finding their space in the brandwagon, may be the ad-vantage will be with the soapbox. For a change!