Akshay Kumar, Bollywood’s superstar and known to all as the “Khiladi” of Indian cinema, the reasons behind his unparalleled success go way over the years by reminding everyone about versatility, discipline, and focused interest in staying fit on screen. On-screen strength, coupled with a clean and health-conscious lifestyle, has made Akshay Kumar one of the most trusted faces as a celebrity endorser of brands in India.
The association with Akshay Kumar has been very useful in terms of credibility and mass appeal, from health and wellness brands to financial services and FMCG giants. These have greatly benefited several brands. The article delves into some of the most iconic brands that have endorsed Akshay Kumar and real-life examples of how this influence has benefited these companies.
| S. No. | Brands Endorsed by Akshay Kumar |
| 1. | Revital H |
| 2. | Harpic |
| 3. | Policybazaar |
| 4. | Tata Motors |
| 5. | Nirma |
| 6. | Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India |
| 7. | Livguard |
| 8. | Dollar Industries |
| 9. | KrazyBee |
| 10. | GOQii |
Revital H
Source: Apollo Pharmacy
Brand Description: Revital H is a health supplement produced by Sun Pharma. Being an age-old health supplement in India, it promises to give energy and vitality to extremely active people.
Akshay Kumar, known for his fitness and wellness activities, was the perfect face for Revital H in 2015. His image of an energetic, healthy, and disciplined person entirely matched the brand’s values.
Impact of Endorsement: Sales tremendously increased once Akshay was appointed as the brand ambassador. A real-life example of this impact can be seen in Sun Pharma‘s reports, wherein the visibility and recall of the brand, especially among youth and fitness enthusiasts, increased. Additionally, Kumar’s association enhanced trust in the brand, thus making it one of the most favored brands for those seeking to maintain their energy levels.
| Product Name | Revital H |
| Type | Health Supplement |
| Manufacturer | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited |
| Country of Origin | India |
| Launched | 1988 |
Harpic
Source: Facebook
Brand Description: Harpic is the largest toilet cleaning brand in India and a product from Reckitt. It focuses on hygiene promotion at the Indian household level.
Association with Akshay Kumar: In 2020, Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar was taken on as a face for Harpic, while this talented actor has given some of the great brand ambassadors the short end. His contribution was important as he drove the message of sanitation and health amidst the pandemic when people knew that hygiene was more vital than everything else.
Impact of Endorsement: In the light of endorsement by Akshay, Harpic executed several hygiene and sanitation campaigns. Those did well at the Indian grassroots level. When Kumar promoted the product, the message seemed pretty convincing because of his credibility, thereby increasing Harpic’s share in the market. Real-life and consumer feedback surveys showed that Kumar’s association pushed people to make their houses hygienic, thus exemplifying the trust they placed in his endorsement.
| Product Name | Harpic |
| Type | Consumer Goods (Household Cleaning Products) |
| Manufacturer | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited |
| Headquarters | Slough, Berkshire, United Kindom |
| Launched | 1920 |
Policybazaar
Source: Google Images
Brand Overview: Policybazaar is the top online insurance aggregator in India that, in any way, compares or buys a customer’s insurance policy from almost all service providers.
Partnership with Akshay Kumar: Policybazaar engaged the services of Akshay Kumar as its brand ambassador last year in 2019 to further strengthen its hold in the life insurance and financial planning space. The reason for this was his responsible yet family-oriented image, which suited the brand message of the insurance company’s financial security.
Impact of Endorsement: Kumar’s influence motivated more people to explore and understand why insurance policies are important. Customers would find his marketing ads more engaging as Kumar’s credibility repositioned the value of insurance for customers. A good example is the sudden increase in inquiries about life insurance policies right after the airing of his endorsement ads, reflecting how Kumar affected customers’ behavior.
| Product Name | Policybazar Insurance Brokers Private Limited |
| Type | Fintech, Insurance, Financial Services |
| Manufacturer | Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Limited |
| Founders | Yashish Dahiya, Alok Bansal, Avaneesh Nirjar |
| Launched | 2008 |
4. Tata Motors
Source: Google Images
Brand Summary: Tata Motors is part of Tata Group and one of the significant automobile companies in India. It is known for reliability and innovation.
Akshay Kumar Partnership: In 2017, Tata Motors launched the commercial vehicle business brand ambassador by employing actor Akshay Kumar. The aggressive and rugged character image of Akshay Kumar suited Tata’s commercial vehicle range as the vehicle would be used for transporting goods across the harsh Indian terrain.
Impact of Endorsement: Akshay Kumar’s hoardings with Tata Motors demonstrated the power and durability of the brand’s autos, which Indian working classes and businessmen identified with deeply. Indi. Read more
He also proved to be a marketplace help to Tata by increasing market share for commercial vehicles with people associating Kumar with trust and quality.
| Product Name | Tata Motors Limited |
| Type | Automotive Industry |
| Parent Company | Tata Group |
| Founders | JRD Tata |
| Launched | 1945 |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
5. Nirma
Source: Google Images
Overview: Brand-Nirma is an Indian legacy FMCG brand, dominating the market by being a household name for laundry products through its popularity in washing powder.
Association with Akshay Kumar: Akshay Kumar was first seen with Nirma in advertisements in 2019. Here, he played the role of a ruggedly tough, hardworking man who uses Nirma to get tough on those stains.
Impact of Endorsement: His endorsement helped rebrand Nirma and enabled it to target the young generation. A live example of this endorsement’s success is how rural audiences, where Nirma enjoys high penetration, embraced the brand’s new ads. According to reports, sales surged as Kumar’s endorsement reignited interest in Nirma, more so in places where he has a good fan following.
| Product Name | Tata Motors Limited |
| Type | Automotive Industry |
| Parent Company | Tata Group |
| Founders | JRD Tata |
| Launched | 1945 |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
6. Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India
Source: Zee Business
Brand Synopsis: HMSI is India’s second-largest two-wheeler manufacturer, and its products are known more for names such as Honda Activa.
Duet with Akshay Kumar: Akshay Kumar was signed to play the ambassador role of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India by promoting the ‘daily commuter’ vehicle with a much-needed reliability theme.
Impact of Endorsement: With a light heart and mass appeal, Akshay helped Honda come closer to its target audience emotionally. With the “Khiladi” in its advertisement campaigns, Honda could far better position its brand, particularly in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, wherein two-wheelers form a major part of Honda’s sales. Inhibiting biases, the testimonials of dealers and consumers highlighted that preference for the Honda scooters has indeed raised the endorsement.
| Product Name | Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Pvt. Ltd. |
| Type | Automotive (Two- Wheelers) |
| Parent Company | Honda Motor Co Ltd, Japan |
| Launched | 1999 |
| Headquarters | Gurgaon, Haryana, India |
7. Livguard
Source: Google Images
Brand Description: Livguard is an automotive battery inverter specializing in power solutions.
Akshay Kumar Endorsement: Akshay Kumar was appointed as its brand ambassador in 2018, and he has a stable and robust personality that suits the brand message of long-lasting performance.
Impact of Endorsement: With Akshay on board, Livguard’s brand visibility and market share increased. Dealers said that they were getting more calls for Livguard. The influence was due to Kumar, said dealers. Real-life impact can be seen through the brand penetration in rural and semi-urban areas, where he has influence.
| Product Name | Livguard Energies Technologies Pvt. Ltd. |
| Type | Energy and Power Solutions |
| Parent Company | Honda Motor Co Ltd, Japan |
| Founder | Rakesh Malhotra and Navneet Kapoor |
| Launched | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Gurugram, Haryana, India |
8. Dollar Industries
Source: YouTube
Overview of the Brand: Dollar Industries is India’s biggest hosiery manufacturer with a wide range of products such as innerwear and athleisure.
Akshay Kumar Endorsement With Dollar Bigboss: Akshay Kumar was unveiled as the face of Dollar Bigboss in 2010, the premium innerwear from the company. The actor has an athletic build and fitness aspect, making him the perfect brand representation.
Effect of Endorsement: Akshay Kumar’s endorsement helped Dollar Industries to enter the Indian markets in a much more potent way, and thus, the quality was associated with affordability. From real-life consumer studies, it has been found that Akshay’s endorsement has made Dollar Bigboss products popular among young men. Thus, the product can get maximum access in the urban and rural markets.
| Product Name | Dollar Industries Limited |
| Type | Apparel and Hosiery |
| Founder | Shri Din Dayal Gupta |
| Launched | 1972 |
| Headquarters | Kolkata, WestBengal, India |
9. KrazyBee
Source: The Arc
Brand Description: The company is a micro-lending portal with instant loans and credits for young professionals and students.
Partnership with Akshay Kumar: Akshay Kumar was aligned with KrazyBee in 2018 to endorse the brand responsible financially for the good young generation.
A consequence of Sponsorship of Endorsement: Akshay’s endorsement imparted a positive brand image to KrazyBee, and thus, more students and working professionals were attracted to the platform. The public response of the users through social media proves that Akshay’s involvement raised the users’ confidence about the responsible usage of the platform.
| Product Name | Krazy Services Private Limited |
| Type | Fintech, Digital Lending |
| Founder | Wan Hong and Madhusudan E |
| Launched | 2016 |
| Headquarters | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
10. GOQii
Source: GOQii
Company Description: GOQii is a health and fitness technology firm that sells wearable fitness bands and wellness coaching.
Tie-up with Akshay Kumar: He invested in the brand and became its ambassador to promote fitness through devices under it.
Akshay’s endorsement and investment in GOQii increased the brand’s credibility before a health-conscious Indian consumer. With his endorsement, there was a steep increase in real-life examples of individuals using GOQii to track fitness afterward, mostly referring to the influence of Akshay’s association with the brand for fitness-tracking motivation.
| Product Name | GOQii |
| Type | HealthTech, Wearable Technology, Wellness |
| Founder | Vishal Gondal |
| Launched | 2014 |
| Headquarters | Menlo Park, California, USA |
Conclusion
Akshay Kumar’s endorsement reflects the intended and manufactured public image – fit, dependable, and a family man. Endorsing brands that align with his personal image, he brings authenticity and trustworthiness to each endorsement, which would then translate to a positive influence on brand visibility and customer loyalty. Akshay Kumar has gained influence across various industries, from health and wellness to financial services to FMCG products, thus making him a very versatile and broad influencer.
This way, through associations, Akshay Kumar has promoted brands he has endorsed and played a role in altering consumer behavior in India. His endorsements offer scope into changing celebrity-brand dynamics in Indian marketing and prove that an endorsement by a respectable celebrity can easily boost the status of a brand in this very competitive marketplace.
