Cine stars Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan are under watch, of a kind different from that lavished by audiences.
With celebrity endorsements becoming a part of every brand manager's wishlist, market research agency AC Nielsen ORG-Marg and celebrity managers PDM have come together to launch a quarterly study that will track whether a brand ambassador is worth his million-dollar bill.
Preeta Singh, chief executive officer, PDM, said the study, called Star Power Track, would focus on two sets of factors. At one level, it will track star appeal, effectiveness and visibility.
At another level, it will look at aspects like a star's image and consumer connect. These parameters will be tested through consumer feedback, ad spends by various brands, and visibility tracking of media coverage.
Sarang Panchal, executive director, South Asia, AC Nielsen, said the first study would be released in the first week of December. "We will do a quarterly study to keep tabs on the upcoming celebrities as well," he said.
The first round will focus on 30 celebrities, with a presence in 80 per cent of the total advertising spends on celebrity endorsements in India. Needless to say, names like Shahrukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Sachin Tendulkar feature on its radar.
Panchal said the celebrity endorsement market was valued at Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 billion) at present, and brand owners needed to be sure that a celebrity influenced brand performance and was the right fit for the product endorsed.
Star Power Track will also study if celebrity endorsements increase the shelf life of a brand and enhance brand loyalty.
Singh added the scope of the study would be later extended to look specifically at more geographies and include more celebrities.