The Hindu Business Line : Specialists as brand ambassadors

A harried cola company is reported to be toying with the idea of engaging a scientist as its brand ambassador so as to carry credibility with its customers both actual and potential and more particularly to effectively dispel notions of danger in drinking the beverage. Should it go through with the idea, the company would not be the first to rope in a specialist in a given field as its model.

Narain Kartikeyan and petrol are a perfect fit. Small wonder that Bharat Petroleum hitched its stars to the racer's `car-wagon' as soon as he started hogging the limelight. In fact, it was JK Tyres, which was quick to spot the rising star and his direct link with its product, and featured him in its ads.

Toothpaste brands have been routinely using the `certified by dentists' stamp to outsmart rivals though they have not zeroed in on any particular well-known dentist for this purpose unlike a building material brand which carries the powerful endorsement by the celebrated architect Hafiz Contractor as its sales pitch.

Roping in a scientist could be tough proposition for the cola company given the fact that he is not going to give his imprimatur to the drink lightly and certainly not too readily knowing as he does the purpose for which he has been drafted. Moreover, products that are consumed with gay abandon and a brooding scientist measuring his words carefully cannot obviously be a great match . The cola company might therefore continue to repose faith in film stars and cricketers when the heat generated by the pesticide residue controversy wears off.

But durables and other products and services relatively impervious to pester power may lap up the idea of hiring specialists with alacrity. Nothing perhaps can catapult the sales graph of a computer company than the sight of the redoubtable Narayana Murthy standing by its computer. It is another matter of course whether he would care to do so.

(The author is a New Delhi-based chartered accountant.)

S. Murlidharan

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