MAM
GroupM unveils celebrity branding study ‘CelebZ’
MUMBAI: GroupM the media investment management arm of the WPP Group launched its comprehensive study on celebrity endorsement called CelebZ which allows marketers to identify celebrities who have the strongest appeal and are the best fit with a particular brand.
The study was conducted by IMRB on a sample size of 2800 across 14 cities between October and December 2006. For the first study, CelebZ zeroed in on 86 celebrities and 140 brands. This will be continually updated over the next six months.
In his presentation at the press conference, GroupM COO South Asia Vikram Sakhuja explained that CelebZ is based on the Millward Brown study of celebrities which creates a persona of the celebrity in terms of 12 negative and positive traits. It also measures the overall size and nature of the relationship that consumers have with a celebrity and goes on to create his or her equity pyramid. Based on this, the study calculates the mScore of each celebrity and classifies them into Platinum, Gold and Silver categories.
Sakhuja added, “With over 250 crores being pumped into celebrity endorsement by marketers annually, it is high time we brought some accountability to celebrity management. CelebZ is a scientific research tool that helps our clients understand why a particular brand needs a certain kind of celebrity.”
He also clarified that at present it is the five Platinum celebs which constitute about 40 percent of the industry’s current celebrity endorsement value. “This means that there is a large untapped resource of celebs out there who can also be potential fits for medium and low end brands,” says Sakhuja.
Expectedly the highest scores are raked in by Bollywood and sport stars, especially cricket stars. But the study also throws forth some interesting insights. For example, some stars who have been out of the limelight still carry residual power. While explaining this, Sakhuja mentioned the example of “leading divas in Bollywood.” Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukherjee claimed the first two slots. But the third slot came as a surprise. Juhi Chawla is obviously the masses favourite although she may not be part of the Bollywood numbers game anymore.
While the study has included regional celebrities from the South as well, another pleasant surprise is economist Amartya Sen. The study has so far not included any international celebrities in the study although Hollywood actor Richard Gere and Australian cricket stars Brett Lee, Shane Warne and Glenn Mcgrath have endorsed brands in India.
What about a study like this encouraging celebrity endorsements where none is necessary? Sakhuja says, “Advertisers and marketing heads are constantly on the look out for celebrities to drive their brands. We can’t deny that they do sell. However the research tries to break through this clutter of often repeated celebrities and get the marketers to look at the gold and silver categories which may help brands target more focused audiences. Taking them as brand endorsers would address the brand’s need far more effectively than going by mass perception and picking the platinum listers.”
The study sampler presented at the press conference shows how an intangible emotion like ‘firmness’ is associated with celebrities like Mona Singh, Smriti Irani and Preity Zinta. For a brand that cannot afford a Preity Zinta, there is no paucity of alternatives.
The study was championed by GroupM’s Insights division.
MAM
Schneider Electric launches One Unit Mission for Women’s Day
Green Yodha 2.0 urges every Indian household to save one unit of electricity daily.
MUMBAI: Schneider Electric just flipped the switch on savings because this Women’s Day the brightest idea isn’t a new bulb, it’s turning one unit off. Schneider Electric launched the second phase of its Green Yodha initiative, ‘One Unit Mission’, on International Women’s Day 2026, calling on every Indian household to save at least one unit of electricity daily. The campaign was flagged off in Delhi by chief minister Rekha Gupta, actor and sustainability advocate Bhumi Pednekar, and other dignitaries.
Rekha Gupta said, “Delhi’s journey towards clean, resilient growth begins with how efficiently we use the energy we already have. Green Yodha 2.0 reminds us that every citizen is a stakeholder in India’s energy future, and saving one unit of power today is an act of nation-building for tomorrow.”
Schneider Electric India zone president, MD & CEO Deepak Sharma added, “India is entering a decade of unprecedented growth, and that growth will require enormous amounts of energy. The real challenge is not just how much power we produce, but how intelligently we use it. If every Indian household saves just one unit of electricity a day, the impact would be equivalent to planting billions of trees or taking millions of cars off the road.”
Schneider Electric India, vice president of marketing Rajat Abbi noted, “Sustainability becomes real when it is simple and measurable. The One Unit Mission is about turning awareness into everyday action.”
In FY 2023–24, India’s energy-efficiency programmes (PAT, UJALA, S&L, SLNP, CAFÉ) collectively saved 53.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent, avoided 321 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions, and reduced energy expenditure by Rs 2 lakh crore equivalent to nearly 6 per cent of national primary energy supply.
The initiative aligns with government efforts on efficient cooling, appliance standards and the Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s state-level SEEI FY 2024 framework, emphasising demand-side efficiency as a cost-effective complement to new generation capacity.
In a nation sprinting toward brighter, bigger tomorrows, Schneider isn’t selling more power, it’s quietly handing every household a daily superpower: the ability to save one unit and help light up a cleaner, more efficient future, one thoughtful switch at a time.
