The new brands: Raw, home-grown

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Self-made men with small-town bearings are the new role models</span><br />NEW DELHI: From suave Shah Rukh Khan to avant garde Chandrachud Singh to small-town Virendra Sehwag — the swiftly-changing Mayur suitings ad tells the story of the changing profile of the Indian market, and with it, its brand ambassadors.<br /><br />Today, Najafgarh has become more important than Malabar Hills. "It isn''t only sophistication that works now, achievement and aspiration also play a big role in advertising," says ad man and filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar. "And that''s where brand ambassadors like Virendra Sehwag and Dhanraj Pillai come in. Sehwag is just right for Mayur suitings. He stands for a small town guy achieving huge fame. And somehow, the man on the street can identify with him and believe that he actually wears Mayur suiting."<br /><br />Aspirations, are changing and creators are giving way to inheritors. "People," says marketing guru Suhel Seth, "are coming to terms with the rags-to-riches story and the self-made man is the new role model. Wealth today has less to do with pedigree and the language you speak and more to do with disposable incomes." <br /><br />A brand has to reflect the values of its times. "As the context, aspirations and social idiom change, the brand''s ambassador has to change," says ad woman Tara Sinha. "The English-speaking, convent-educated consumer is almost dead. The buyer is more Hinglish." <br /><br />It''s more about achievements and less about style, say experts. "In this respect, Dhanraj Pillai is powerful as a brand ambassador," adds Kakkar. "He has such a raw, home-grown appeal that even the most sophisticated of brands can actually get away by adopting him as their ambassador. Like P T Usha, Pillai has to do with achievement which rises way beyond style."<br /><br />The change is reflected in all spheres — English news channels are turning Hindi. Laloo has replaced Nehru as a charismatic leader. And Sehwag is more enigmatic than Pataudi. "Brands are built on identification and empathy," says Seth.<br /><br />"A middle-class family in Mumbai or Bangalore is more likely to identify with a Narayana Murthy than a Vijay Mallya." <br /><br />Another reason is the overexposure of older icons. Says Sinha, "A high profile leads to a promiscuous relationship — so many brands have the same ambassador. This not only makes the icon more prominent than the brand, it also confuses the buyer." </div> </div>