The ninth edition of International Advertising Association (IAA) India Chapter’s Leadership Awards for excellence in Marketing, Advertising and Media was hosted in Mumbai on 25th July.
In a sit-down conversation with Hungama Digital Entertainment MD Neeraj Roy, actor Ranveer Singh, who was honoured with the ‘Brand Endorser of the Year’ award, revealed that he has been signed on by 41 brands, of which nine onboarded him during the pandemic.
Asked about ‘Brand India in 2030’, Singh noted that he was bullish on the nation’s potential. He said, “It’s a dynamic country, statistically the youngest in the world, our youth culture is pulsating with restless energy, with the advent of social media their access to the entire globe is in the palm of their hands. Entrepreneurship is seeing a boom.”
In the context of the event, Singh revealed his association with the advertising industry.
During his internships with two ad agencies, he discovered that he was an ace at copy that was simple to understand and clicked with clients, noted the Gully Boy star.
He gravitated to advertising during his school days when he had won a prize in a mock ad competition, he revealed, much to the amusement of the audience.
He later came to know that it was called ‘Copywriting’ and thus decided to study advertising in college and take up an advertising job – in Chicago or New York in some big agency.
In the meantime he did two internships with agencies like J. Walter Thompson and O&M.
“I used to outsell my senior creative directors as they used to write cerebral taglines hoping to win awards at Cannes and other top events while I used to write in local languages that would connect with people, and clients welcomed it. I had written a tagline for client Good Knight and they bought it. The tagline was “Coil tha hara par machchhar nahi mara, le aayiye laal aur dekhiye kamaal’,” he recalled, having the audience laughing out loud.
The actor’s first ad for Durex Condoms too was written by himself, he revealed.
He had received many ad offers from brands in categories like cola and telecom after his first film, Band Baaja Baaraat tasted success. He was advised to wait for the next hit and endorse the same brands at a higher price. But he ended up waiting for four years as his next two movies didn’t do well.
Singh recalls, “Since the needle was not moving and I was itching because I had the dreams and aspirations; I wanted to be a brand endorser. I had this idea for Durex Condoms, I asked my managers to call them and give the idea. They bit into it and the rest is history. Today I am here as the ‘Brand Endorser of the year!’”
