Dhoom 3 Brings Abhishek and Idea Back Together

Cashing on the success of Dhoom 3, telecom operator IdeaCellular has brought back campaigns featuring brand ambassador Abhishek Bachchan. Bachchan Jr acted in the hugely successful What an idea, sirji' campaigns for the company till around two years ago, before being dropped.

In the week before the release of Yash Raj Films' third part in the Dhoom series, Idea put up hoardings featuring the actor. His absence from the company's Advertisements led some to speculate the contract between Idea and him had gone for a toss. But sources deny this.

No rift'
A professional involved in getting celebrity endorsements for companies said: "Abhishek and Idea have had a longstanding relationship. Yes, he was missing in Idea's campaigns for a while but many a time the creative does not require the celebrity to be present in the campaign."

Idea has also started airing its old ads featuring the Bollywood actor. "It is perfect timing in terms of visibility. Dhoom 3 is the last big movie of the year and a very important part of Abhishek's acting career," says the professional.

Idea Cellular's ad responsibilities lie with InterPublic Group's Lowe Lintas agency, led by ad man and director R Balki. The agency has been the force behind popular Idea campaigns like What an idea, sirji', Walk and Talk', Honey Bunny' and the most recent 121' campaign.

The last two campaigns did not feature Bachchan Jr. The What an idea, sirji' campaign revolved around ideas to combat a range of scoial problems, while the Walk and Talk' campaign took health as its peg.

Apart from Idea Cellular, Bachchan endorses the Omega high-end watch brand, Videcon d2h and Prestige TTK (with wife Aishwarya Rai). According to sources close to the actor, announcements regarding new tie-ups are expected in the first quarter of the new year.