He’s one of India’s biggest celebrities, and a brand in his own right. And he’s worth millions. Indeed, the Celebrity Brand Valuation Report of 2023 pegs Amitabh Bachchan’s brand value at $79 million. As the ‘Big B’ turns 81 today, Storyboard18 goes down memory lane to look at the Bachchan brand.
Over his 50-year career, Big B has been the face of varied brands, including upGrad, Flipkart, Tata Sky, Tanishq, Maggi, Mankind Pharma, Ghadi detergent, Pepsi, Dabur, and ICICI Prudential Life, among many others.
The actor was also the face of efforts to make India polio-free through the Polio Vaccine Drive, and open defecation free through the Swachch Bharat Abhiyan.
“I created several ads with Mr Bachchan, of which my all-time favourite was for a rather unexpected brand, Rin. This was in the ‘he can turn anything to gold’ days,” recalls Nandita Chalam, former Senior VP and ECD of ad agency JWT. “The advertisement showed him as the principal of a missionary school, conducting admission interviews. A little boy enters in a dazzling white shirt, which is in sharp contrast with the principal’s own yellowish cassock. To make matters worse, the little boy decides to recite a poem, ‘yellow, yellow, dirty fellow.’ The pairing was so cute that Mr Bachchan and the little boy were cast together again in the feature film Bhootnath.”
But Bachchan has also been willing to walk away from big money if his reputation was at stake. For instance, Bachchan stopped promoting the soft drinks due to health-related concerns about colas. He has also reportedly advised his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya to do their due diligence before promoting products.
Recently, Bachchan found himself in a controversy while promoting Flipkart. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) complained to the Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA) against Bachchan and Flipkart for an allegedly misleading advertisement by Flipkart on smartphone pricing.
According to industry experts, regulatory bodies need to intervene and formulate policies that inhibit pretentious claims from being filed.
Irrespective of the controversies, there is no doubt that brand Amitabh Bachchan’s impact will be long lasting.