"This segment responds to the pull of a large idea and to the pull of a visible celebrity. The use of celebrities to endorse products is not just advisable, but also considered absolutely necessary," says the company.

It's a view disputed by many. "There is no one rule that works in advertising and hence celebrities cannot be seen as the solution for making a good campaign, although in several cases using a celebrity can add to the personality of a product and bring credibility," says Colvyn Harris, the chief executive officer of advertising firm JWT.

HJWT's award-winning Nike campaign did not have cricket stars at the centre but only among the many playing on the road, bus tops, etc. Thus, in spite of the national team's early exit from the World Cup, the brand's ideology was not questioned. The campaign, which was to establish Nike cricket gear in India, encouraged the viewers to think of themselves as cricketers.

"However, at the second level of stoking a desire to buy a product, celebrities' strike rate is two out of 10. At the third level of creating the action of sale, celebrities work 0.5 out of 10," says Bijoor.

A pitfall of tying down a brand to a celebrity is that it gets linked to the professional and sometimes personal vicissitudes of the star. This leads ad-makers to create characters of their own that can represent the personality of a brand.

Bijoor is working with three companies on inanimate characters instead of real celebrities for their brand campaigns. "The advantage of working with self-created characters is that they have a longer life and the companies can work with them in any way they want," he says.

Image: An Amul butter ad hoarding