Celebrities temporarily change their names to endorse brands

Indian celebrities are taking endorsements to a whole new level. As a new and interesting practice, celebrities doing endorsements are tweaking their names for a short period of time while they are associated with a product/brand/company/cause. The legendary marketing guru and advertising professional Shruthi lauded this phenomenon as one of the best innovations in brand marketing. One of the first celebrities to sign such an endorsement contract, Kangna Renault said: "I was approached by the automobile maker with this interesting endorsement offer. I will have to change my name to Kangna Renault and retain it for a period of 90 days during which I cannot be associated with any other brand. Of course during this period I would be referred to as Kangna Renault everywhere - in the newspapers, TV, films etc. I found this idea very innovative and catchy. I signed the contract immediately." Kangna also insisted that her name should be printed as Kangna Renault in this news report and not as Kangna Ranaut by mistake.

We also got in touch with other celebrities who have signed such contracts. "Wow, it's so exciting", said Freida Punto when asked about how she feels to be the brand ambassador of the Fiat car. M&M brand ambassador Mahindra Singh Dhoni sounded philosophical when he said: "What's in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name, would smell as sweet." The actor-turned-social activist Anupam Care said: "I am not doing it for money. It's a non-profit organisation that I am supporting." However when we asked him if he would endorse Air India without demanding any payment because that is also a non-profit organisation as of now, he seemed extremely irritated by the mischievous question. Southern film star Aria who is endorsing the TATA car said matter of factly: "I can even change my name to Ratan Tata if they give me money". Another celebrity roped in as a brand ambassador by TATA motors - Ashutosh Landrover could not be reached for comment. He is busy with his upcoming film that he is doing for the production house Twenty First Century Frogs.

"I never liked my name in the first place. So I don't mind tweaking it a bit when I get paid for it", said Ram Gopal Verna who is endorsing one of the Hyundai car models. "I am aware of my social responsibilities. So I do endorsements only after a lot of thought. By endorsing this electric car, I am doing my bit for the environment" said the choreographer cum director Prabhu Reva. "Diamonds are a girl's best friend they say. What more incentive do I need to endorse it?" asked Shabana Asmi. Even big FMCG brands like HUL have embraced this form of marketing. Their iconic detergent brand is now endorsed by Surf Ali Khan. HUL has looked beyond the usual actor, cricketer pool and has picked the legendary art director Sabun Liril for their soap brand. Even the tobacco industry is not immune to this phenomenon. Mandira Beedi has been signed to endorse a beedi brand that is named after her. Manisha Corolla is another celebrity endorsing an automobile brand. The long list of automobile celebrity endorsements ends with Ritesh Deshmukh who insists that he should hereafter be called 'Ritz' as he is endorsing the popular car from the Maruti stable!

The government is also cashing in on the latest trend. The income tax department has VVS Taxman as their ambassador for 'Do not evade taxes' campaign. No endorsement list is complete without Big B. The actor wrote in his blog: "Proud to be associated with the 'Say no to child labour' campaign. Call me Amitabh Bachpan from now on. Reminded of my father's poem on this occasion: Don ko pakadna mushkil nahi na mumkin hai. So thought-provoking."

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