Taj Mahal tea has changed its Brand Face ( brand ambassador). Recent TVCs show Saif Ali Khan endorsing the brand. Taj Mahal has been using the Tabla Maestro Ustad Zakir Hussa
in as its brand ambassador from 1990's. Since Ustad Zakir was endorsing only this brand, the recall was high. Over the period of time, the brand ambassador became synonymous for the brand. Ustad and Taj Mahal was touted as the classic example of a successful celebrity endorsement. The collaboration with the brand and the ambassador went that far that Ustad once challenged in a TVC in 2001 that he will stop playing tabla if he come across a better tea. That TVC created lot of controversy.
The
new brand ambassador is Saif. HLL may have reasons for changing the brand ambassador. The brand manager may have been bored using the same face?. Saif may be an attempt to make the brand more contemporary. Ustad and his fans are getting older. Hence there is a chance that the new generation may miss out on the charm of Ustad ( generation gap?). So the attempt may be to make the brand relevant to the new generation. In theory we site examples where the users of the brand getting older and the brand not able to connect with new generation. HLL does not want this to happen with a power brand like Taj Mahal. But by using Saif, the brand is losing its face. Taj Mahal had an exclusive face which was something that made a difference to the brand. Saif does not have that exclusivity. The transition could have been more effective if the TVC had both endorsers......
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Taj Mahal Tea
in as its brand ambassador from 1990's. Since Ustad Zakir was endorsing only this brand, the recall was high. Over the period of time, the brand ambassador became synonymous for the brand. Ustad and Taj Mahal was touted as the classic example of a successful celebrity endorsement. The collaboration with the brand and the ambassador went that far that Ustad once challenged in a TVC in 2001 that he will stop playing tabla if he come across a better tea. That TVC created lot of controversy.The
new brand ambassador is Saif. HLL may have reasons for changing the brand ambassador. The brand manager may have been bored using the same face?. Saif may be an attempt to make the brand more contemporary. Ustad and his fans are getting older. Hence there is a chance that the new generation may miss out on the charm of Ustad ( generation gap?). So the attempt may be to make the brand relevant to the new generation. In theory we site examples where the users of the brand getting older and the brand not able to connect with new generation. HLL does not want this to happen with a power brand like Taj Mahal. But by using Saif, the brand is losing its face. Taj Mahal had an exclusive face which was something that made a difference to the brand. Saif does not have that exclusivity. The transition could have been more effective if the TVC had both endorsers......Related brand
Taj Mahal Tea
Talking about exclusivity, the best pic that comes to my mind is that of david beckam..the couple is probably the best example of celebrity brands extended beyond all possible limits... finally when he even appeared for a saloon ( barber shop )pepsi and vodafone was shocked...
ReplyDeleteGood observation, guess Madu will have something to say here as well ..!!
HLL move to choose Saif as brand icon makes good sense....In my opinion this step is taken to attract younger crowd....Younger generation prefer to drink coffee rather than tea...so choosing saif might convert coffee lovers to shift to tea...
ReplyDeleteTaj tea with its endorsement with Ustad was a class apart......i strongly belive that the brand would lose its classic image! The punch "Wa ustad Wa" is synonymous with the brand....can such an image be brought with Saif? i doubt, or is it that the brand wants to look new and freash...?
ReplyDeletei agree with dj...the kind of emotions which people might have with the taj tea might fade away...it might loose its loyal customers to attract new generation...which it could otherwise do with roping in some one with same genre of ustad...
ReplyDelete