Ad to fame

Everything seems to be getting increasingly commoditized. From the daily bread to application development for complex products/projects, the word is abuzz irrespective of locations – be it in the local bus or a mouth-wide-open looking Innova. A renowned filmmaker comments in his column that with cine actors endorsing products that they themselves wouldn’t see and know, the new commodity that’s being chased is fame. Interesting. Think for a second and the serial that comes between ads will remind you that the same face adorns different products – Santro, Videocon, Omega, LML, Pepsi, Sun Feast to name a few. One wonders whether the brand value has been build around the star or the star has been chosen for his/her compatibility with the brand value. Hitherto unknown faces also shoot to fame – thanks to local ads. Who can forget the kid in Daara. The product would have faded in the market place, not the kid.

If you have a pleasant face, you could crack the ad jackpot. Whether you languish in jail afterwards or frequents police station or the mafia…brand value has nothing to do with it.