News: Shah Rukh's endorsements are on the rise

(BL 28/11/2006) Chennai - Actor Shah Rukh Khan, who's in the news for taking over from Amitabh Bachchan as the new host of TV game show Kaun Banega Crorepati 3 (KBC), has endorsed products as diverse as automobiles, biscuits, garments, computers, watches and talcum powder, not to mention social causes such as the Pulse Polio and AIDS control programmes.

AdEx India, in its Celebrity Track analysis, says the actor's basket of endorsements expanded to 21 products in 2005 from 13 in 2004, a 62 per cent jump. In the first quarter of 2006, he has endorsed 16 brands, 76 per cent of the 2005 figure.

Khan started his acting career with Fauji, a TV serial, sometime in the late '80s, and went on to become a superstar in Hindi cinema. He started endorsing products in 1999 for a few brands including Pepsi and Hyundai, whose association with him continues to this day.

In 2005, the ad spend on brands endorsed by Shah Rukh was Rs 6.05 crore. In January-March 2006, that figure stood at Rs 1.10 crore, AdEx estimates based on market rates reveal.

Last year was also significant for Khan as he featured in a substantial number of socially relevant advertisements. His share of such ads vis-à-vis commercial messages in 2005 rose to 20 per cent from 0.3 per cent the previous year. The total number of TVCs featuring him rose 43 per cent to 53,527 in 2005 from 37,436 in 2004.