Brands
‘Credible’ soap stars sell better detergent
No longer the film stars, not even an original ‘Lalitaji‘. The common protagonist in a TV ad these days is the ubiquitous hausfrau from your favourite daily soap. From soap to paint, they help sell it all. Agnes Sebastian talks to a cross section of the industry to know what makes these ads tick…
What is common to Kkusum, Mihir, Tulsi, Parvati, Om and Babuji apart from being popular characters of hit TV serials?
These are characters who, apart from having carved a niche for themselves in the hearts of their audiences, have become hot favourites with advertising agencies as well
For the last few months, there has been a spurt in the frequency and number of ads featuring television artistes. Be it Tulsi and Parvati playing dandia in the Nerolac ad, the C.I. D. team being frozen by a sudden streak of Tide detergent or Tulsi endorsing Milton appliances, the list grows every day.
| Earlier the domain of film and sports stars, ads increasingly feature the hardworking housewife and the endearing grandfather to promote products that project the ‘family image‘. Agencies have begun to realise that in order to tug the strings of the target audience, it is essential to capitalise on the popularity of these artists who have become an integral part of every household. They even go to the extent of blending the scripts of ads with the characters played by the artistes. Not surprisingly, Balaji serials like Kyunkii , Kahaani and the artistes therein are the ideal candidates for pushing several products, be it tea, detergent or paint. | ||||||
“We signed Ketki Devi (Daksha chachi of Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi) for the Rin Shakti ad as our target audience were housewives who encounter such pestering neighbours on a day to day basis. Thanks to her image, they were able to relate to her and not surprisingly the ad was a success,” says J Walter Thompson, Creative Director, Reuben Samuel.
On being asked why it was no longer possible to create the popular Lalitaji like character to sell Rin, he explains: “Due to the fragmentation of media, it is easier and more economical to cast television artistes. They are approachable and do not belong to a different planet altogether as is the case with some Bollywood stars. Moreover , the audience is able to relate to them and attach a certain kind of credibility to them because of the exemplary character portrayed by them,” he adds. Most of the ads featuring these artistes are those selling products which are of interest to the housewife, the one member of the family who is in tune with all serials/soaps on air. “If a person has already struck a chord with the audience then it becomes easier for that person to sell a product. The simple logic is that people begin to identify with the character and thus begin to trust him /her. Thus the brands take mileage out of their name.” comments a Lowe Lintas official.
For the tele stars, ads are a boon as it ensures quick money and recognizes their popularity and influence on their audience. “I have appeared in about 12 to 15 ads. There‘s no denying the fact that I have bagged ads because of my image. When the audience sees Parvati , the ideal Bahu, use certain products it encourages them to do the same. It definitely helps boost sales figures,” says Saakshi Tanwar ( Parvati of Kahaani Ghar Ghar Ki). However , there are certain artistes who believe that acting in serials, featuring in ads are all media to achieve higher goals. “Brands approach us because they want their products to sell.
Barring shampoos and soft drinks, I have endorsed everything else. The brands trust me and my ability to perform and gel with people . I am somehow able to convince them into buying the product. Though I admit that Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi has given a boost to my popularity, I featured in the Whirpool ad much before it happened,” says Aman Varma who believes that the serials and ads have helped him achieve his ultimate goal in life which is to act in movies. He has signed five movies so far. Interestingly, with the increase in ads featuring such small screen artists, the production houses face the obvious problems of rescheduling dates when they clash with those of ads. “Woman characterization has worked. It is a compliment to us when we see our artistes endorsing top brands. However, it does become a wee bit difficult when the shooting schedules for ads and the serials begin to clash. However the artistes realize that if it weren‘t for our serials, which gave them the identity there would be no ads,” says Balaji Telefilms, COO, Rajesh Pavithran.
All this simply reinstates the fact that the small screen is still the most powerful medium of communication today and that the soaps cannot be written off as simple modes of entertainment alone. Soaps not only spell the success of a channel but also that of certain products and the advertising world. With Bollywood stars like Karisma Kapoor and Sridevi all set to make their debut on the small screen, the power of the idiot box and its many characters is only going to increase. |
||||||
Brands
Ekincare names Rupal Kumar head of corporate sales
Industry veteran to drive enterprise growth and expand platform reach across India
MUMBAI: Corporate health platform ekincare has appointed Rupal Kumar as head of corporate sales, tasking the industry veteran with accelerating enterprise growth and expanding the company’s presence across India.
In his new role, Kumar will lead new customer acquisition, shape the firm’s sales strategy and strengthen ekincare’s footprint among organisations looking to provide personalised health benefits to employees.
Kumar brings more than two decades of experience in business development, strategic partnerships and team leadership across fintech, health tech and consumer durables. Before joining ekincare, he worked at Razorpay, where he helped scale the enterprise division for RazorpayX.
His career also includes leadership roles at MediBuddy, where he served as national head of strategic partnerships and director of sales for the South region. Earlier, he spent five years at Paytm leading regional payments businesses and building strategic alliances.
Welcoming the appointment, ekincare co-founder and chief executive Kiran Kalakuntla, said Kumar’s experience in expanding enterprise partnerships within the healthcare ecosystem would support the company’s next growth phase.
“We are excited to welcome Rupal to the team. His strong track record in scaling enterprise partnerships within the healthcare ecosystem makes him an ideal fit for our vision. As we enter this next phase of growth, his leadership will be instrumental in expanding our reach and advancing our mission to deliver integrated, accessible healthcare to every employee,” Kalakuntla said.
Commenting on his new role, Kumar said he looked forward to working with the leadership team to drive the company’s growth and deepen its impact in the corporate healthcare space.
“I am excited to join ekincare and work alongside the leadership team to drive our next phase of growth. I look forward to leveraging my experience in building enterprise partnerships and high-performing sales teams to accelerate our impact across India,” he said.
Founded in 2014 by Kiran Kalakuntla, Srikanth Samudrala, Dr Noel Coutinho and Somak Ray, ekincare has grown into one of India’s largest corporate health benefits platforms. The company now serves more than 2 million employees across over 1,100 organisations, including Fortune 500 firms such as PepsiCo, BlackRock and Visa.
Supported by a network of more than 50,000 healthcare providers across 500 cities, ekincare aims to make workplace healthcare more accessible, tech driven and scalable as India’s corporate wellness ecosystem continues to evolve.
