New Delhi: Brand ambassadors – they are the icons, the celebrities which consumers associate with a brand because they extoll its virtues on television, print, and digital adverts. The role of any and every brand ambassadorin 2020 came with added responsibilities than ever before. They were not just selling products or services but trust and assurance to the potential customer that whatever they are promoting  is safe to use in the times of coronavirus.

It is to their credit that  many of them stepped forward on the government’s call for social messaging, telling the homebound to stay that way and resort to social distancing,  masks and extreme sanitisation  measures every time they stepped out.

While expensive, expansive shoots were a no-no for about four months in the early stages of the pandemic, many celebs found innovative ways to continue filming from their homes with the help of remotely located directors and production teams, Once the unlock orders were passed and proper standard operating procedures put in place for TV commercial and other shoots, the brand ambassador band played out in full swing. Several brands roped in new ambassadors this year and several new ambassadors started shining on air.

Here are India’s op 10 brand ambassadorsin terms of ad volume on TV according to Tam data (from Jan 2020 – Nov 2020).

Akshay Kumar

The 50 plus year old actor has emerged as the king of endorsements in the Bollywood fraternity. He is associated with brands across different categories such as Protein Plus, Dollar Industries, RB, CarDekho, Honda, Nirma, Pagarbook and several others. Kumar has a kitty of over 20 brands including traditional and new-age brands.

Known for his discipline, fitness, and integrity the actor’s credibility reached its peak when he interviewed prime minister Narendra Modi at his residence just before the 2019 general elections. Over the years his fan base has increased and brands have found him to be a credible face when it comes to creating a strong recall.

Virat Kohli

The current Indian cricket team captain is one of the most successful brand ambassadors from the world of cricket. He represents a variety of virtues such as discipline, aggression, commitment, team-player, and most recently soon-to-be-father. Kohli has been breaking multiple records and cricket experts across the world have been lauding his success.

Going by the latest reports, his brand value is above Rs 320 crore and is slated to grow as he has a good number of years left in his career before his retirement. Kohli endorses brands like Great Learning, Blue Star, WellMan, Himalaya Men, Google Duo, MPL, Shyam Steel, Amaze inverters and batteries, Puma, Hero MotoCorp, Colgate, Volini, Too Yumm, Wrogn, Tissot, Audi, Royal Challenge.

Kareena Kapoor

The leading lady of Bollywood is one of the most expensive ambassadors in the industry. Kapoor represents virtues such as finesse, quality, beauty, glamour and fitness. She has been in the industry for over 20 years and has emerged as a big influencer and commands a very strong social following. A brand report in August clearly stated that Kapoor leads the brand endorsement chart among the women in Bollywood. She endorses brands such as Lux, Puma, Vectus Group, RB, Airbnb, Prega News, VIP Bags, and others.

Amitabh Bachchan

He is known as the evergreen brand ambassador of the industry. Bachchan is the easiest choice for any brand manager to make since he cuts across multiple age-groups, communities and commands an unwavering love and respect from the audiences. He represents virtues such as patience, calmness, commitment, etiquettes, politeness, friendly, family man, elderly and many other things. He is among the veterans in the industry and commands an ability to shift the needle of sales on any product. Some of the brands that he endorses are – Ghadi Detergent, Dr Fixit, FirstCry, Gujrat Tourism, RBI, TVS and others. He has a kitty of over 15 brands.

Kiara Advani

She is the new girl on the endorsement block. Advani emerged in the industry with her performance in Kabir Singh and since then has bagged multiple roles in films and contracts from brands. She represents youth and beauty. Advani is associated with Myntra, Colgate, Limca, Priyagold, boat, Giordano Handbags, and others.

Ranveer Singh

He is one of the most revered youth icons the industry has seen in a long time. Be it his dressing sense, commitment towards maintaining his shape, love towards his lady lass, Singh is much followed by youth (both male and female) across geographies. Singh represents virtues such as – living the moment, lively nature, commitment, carefree attitude, and others. He is undoubtedly the darling of brands. Some of the brands that he represents are Harman JBL, Thums Up, Jio, Eduauraa, Royal Stag, BigMuscles Nutrition, Astral Pipes, Bingo, Ching’s, Kotak Mahindra, Siyaram’s and others.

Alia Bhatt

They hated her, they trolled her and then finally they started liking her. Alia Bhatt has emerged as a popular brand ambassador in the last three years. She is followed by youth and cuts across the age group of 18 – 30 years old. She is associated with brands such as PhonePe, MakeMyTrip, Lux, Nestle, Capresse, JSW Paints, Tresemme, Vicco, and others.

MS Dhoni

He is the legend of Indian cricket has etched a name for himself in the history books. The story of a boy rising from a small town to the highest levels of the game is nothing less than inspirational. Audiences have always loved this story and brands have backed it. Despite retirement from cricket (minus the 20:20 format) Dhoni still represents virtues like leadership, skills, calmness, patience, sportsman spirit, family man, mentor and much more. He has been associated with brands such as India Cements, PokerStar, Oppo, Khatabook, GoDaddy, Snickers and others.

Anushka Sharma

The soon-to-be-mother and a popular Bollywood actor has emerged as a top ambassador this year on the back of Prega News spending heavily on advertising. The brand immediately signed Sharma as she broke the news of her pregnancy and launched a massive campaign with her.

Shraddha Kapoor

She is one of the most under-rated actors of Bollywood and was seen in almost all the big box-office hits of 2018 and 2019. Kapoor has built her brand saliency step-by-step and has emerged as one of the most popular and credible faces of the industry. She represents hard work, persistence, patience, beauty, glamour, fitness and other such virtues. Kapoor represents brands such as The Body Shop, Vogue Eyewear, 2bme, Lakme, Veet, Hair & Care, Hershey’s,