South Stars have risen to popularity as the faces of major national brands

Telugu superstars Ram Charan and Jr. NTR are now everywhere on the tiny screen thanks to advertisements, particularly during the current IPL season. They previously dominated the Indian movie office for the past 15 to 18 months and received international attention from the Golden Globes and Academy Awards.

All About South Stars!

Both south stars are now frequently shown on our TVs during post-match shows, after wickets, between overs, and at other times as requested by well-known national FMCG companies like Frooti and Appy Fizz. While both of their contracts were drafted prior to the RRR juggernaut, Fizz and Frooti had appointed Jr. NTR as its Southern region brand ambassador in 2019 and Ram Charan joined in early 2022, but it is only now that their visibility has significantly increased on national channels.

Ram Charan and Alia Bhatt star in a new Frooti campaign, while Jr. NTR and Kriti Sanon promote Appy Fizz across India. Experts predict that the trend of casting Southern actors in national advertisements in India is just the beginning of a “new fusion formula” that would soon spread to cinema and over-the-top media. Brand-strategy expert and consultant Harish Bijoor told Business Today that the purpose of the mashup was to prove Bollywood’s continued relevance while advertisers chased the attention of viewers with films starring actors from the South.

Allu Arjun’s Pushpa: The Rise was the catalyst. The massive popularity of his picture has reportedly increased his ad fees to a “huge premium” compared to those of his Bollywood colleagues. According to Bijoor, some of the biggest South stars are now billing for brand agreements at 8X the previous rate. Given that his brand consultancy works with some of these actors, Bijoor withholds precise information. He claims that each of these celebrities has raised their prices with new companies. In actuality, Appy Fizz is also a supporting sponsor of the TATA IPL this year. It announced a fresh campaign that would run for the duration of the 74-match competition.

The majority of national brands today are enlisting the South Star for larger pan-India campaigns since they recognize the “face value” of this demographic. Because they don’t have to film other commercials with other celebrities, it is working out nicely for them. Additionally, they can play on national television rather than just regional TV, according to Manish Porwal, MD of Alchemist Marketing & Talent Solutions, in an interview with Business Today.

However, given the upcoming sequels to hit movies like Pushpa, that seems improbable, at least in the near future. Add to that the latest casting of Jr. NTR and Bollywood superstar Hrithik Roshan in the War sequel from YRF. Despite the fact that actors dominate the industry in terms of ad fees and the number of businesses lining up to cast them, Southern actresses aren’t far behind. Some other prominent Indians are Tamannah Bhatia, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, and Rashmika Mandanna. In 2022–2023, Mandanna and Allu Arjun were both included in the top 25 celebrities in India for the first time, per Kroll’s brand valuation assessment.

Mandanna was also selected by PepsiCo earlier in 2023 to serve as the brand ambassador of its 7UP lemon soda. Even earlier this year, Mandanna was chosen to represent Kalyan Jewellers as their brand ambassador. The brand ambassador for companies like Mamaearth, Myntra, Lux, Tommy Hilfiger, and other national brands in India is Ruth Prabhu. With well-known companies such as SUGAR Cosmetics, Reebok, and Volkswagen, Bhatia has endorsement agreements as well. These businesses are scrambling to secure the services of stars who can represent them globally and cross all boundaries.