Aamir inks Rs 35 cr endorsement deal

Aamir inks Rs 35 cr endorsement deal

Mumbai: Aamir Khan, fresh from the success of '3 Idiots', has signed a deal with a UAEbased telecommunications service provider reportedly for a staggering Rs 35 crore. Reports say that it is a two-year contract during which period Khan will make himself available for an allotted number of media shoots, press advertisements and personal appearances. This is the highest amount a Bollywood celebrity has ever received for endorsement, beating the previous highs—which were in the Rs 12 crore to Rs 15 crore range—by a huge margin.
    Advertisement guru Prahlad Kakkar, who directed Aamir for his first cola commercial in 1993 (for which he was paid a 'meagre' Rs 17 lakh), reacted, saying, "That is a hell of a lot of money to pay. He has indeed come a long way. But it isn't surprising; he brings a great degree of single-minded exclusivity to a brand. Associating with Aamir is also a plus for the product in another sense because he is very particular about the script, his own image and the image of the product he endorses.''
BRAND WAGON (Reported last highest fees)
Aamir Khan
35 crore
Shah Rukh
15 crore
Akshay Kumar
15 crore
Hrithik Roshan
15 crore
Salman Khan
12 crore Box-office success makes Aamir's stock rise
Mumbai: Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan has signed a deal with a UAE-based telecommunications service provider reportedly for a staggering Rs 35 crore.
    Advertising circles are taken aback by the new high in commercial fees because the last highest amount reportedly paid to four Bollywood names — Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar and Hrithik Roshan — for their hosiery endorsements is said to be in the range of Rs 12 crore to Rs 15 crore. A leading ad producer, however, said there could be an explanation: the general spurt in endorsement fees in the last year. "Even someone as young as Ranbir Kapoor, the latest kid on the movie block, is said to have been lapped up for Rs 7 crore for a two-year-deal by another advertiser,'' he said.
    Aamir's own earlier contracts for a biscuit, a cola, a car, an FMCG, a watch maker and a satellite TV service provider are all reportedly in the range of Rs 12 crore; so, by even his own standards, his fees have almost tripled. Trade insiders attributed Aamir's rising stock in ad circles to his recent box-office successes.
    Aamir himself neither denied nor confirmed his latest endorsement fee. "I enjoy doing my ads. And I'm choosy about the brands and the creative team that works on them. I work as hard on my ads as I do on my films,'' he said. Prabhat Chaudhary, head of Spice, a marketing agency, said: "The brand endorsement world has become the true barometer of a star's success and appeal. Ranbir is the biggest example of this. Last year alone, the young actor signed some enviable deals.'' Another ad guru explained how the ad world worked on celeb power: "Amitabh Bachchan was paid a big fee (also called an opportunity fee) to endorse a chawanprash brand. After Mr Bachchan, Sourav Ganguly and Shah Rukh also came forward to endorse other brands of the digestion aid.''