One can never quite zero in on what makes Saif Ali Khan the enigma that he is. He was loved in his roles in romantic-comedies like Hum Tum, Salaam Namaste, Kal Ho Na Ho but chose to break away from the stereotype, winning praise even for his grey characters in films like Tanhaji, and a National Award for Omkara. Already an established and celebrated actor in cinema, he then chose to be part of the OTT world with the cult series Sacred Games, this at a time when the platform wasn’t even as recognised as it is today – Call it foresight or just plain gut instinct, Saif Ali Khan has always been on the cusp of breakthrough content. Considering his career choices this far and the gamut of characters he’s taken on, versatility is truly the name of the game for Saif, who is also quite the favorite in the brand world. Interestingly, this versatility and variety reflects in the brands he chooses to endorse, epitomising certain values and characteristics that he is also known for.
Saif Ali Khan in House of Pataudi
The actor is currently the face of over 20 leading brands across FMCG, Electronics, Lifestyle, Beauty, Electronics and appliance categories including Lays Gourmet Dollar, SELECTED Homme, Godrej, Curever Pharma Paras Elaichi Pizza Hut, Tata sky Gold medal Kanodia HBM Gold Servokon Impex – LED TVs, Pepper Fry, Lux, Joy Bikes, Dollar, Boult Audio, Adsun Aygo House of PataudiVectus and Littles. In the past few weeks, Khan has shot interesting campaigns for Pizza Hut, Joy Bikes, Dollar, SELECTED Homme, and Lays Gourmet. Incidentally he has even launched all 10 flavors of cult FNB brand, Lays, since 2003 and has now rejoined the brand as their first ever brand ambassador.
Talking about Saif’s appointment as the brand ambassador, Shailja Joshi, Director-Marketing, Potato Chips Category, PepsiCo India said, “We are thrilled to welcome Saif once again as a member of the Lay’s family, this time as the face of our range of slow-cooked premium kettle chips, Lay’s Gourmet. His impeccable taste and refined choices in life make him the perfect partner to showcase the crafted experience of Lay’s Gourmet. Our new TV commercial seamlessly establishes this correlation as it gives a sneak peek into what actually defines Saif as the connoisseur of finer things. We’re confident that our fans will embrace him as the face of Lay’s Gourmet, just like they’ve been savouring the well-deserved experience and rich taste of these delightful chips.”
Sharing her views on the overall campaign collaboration with Pizza Hut and Saif Ali Khan, Aanandita Datta, Chief Marketing Officer, Pizza Hut India, said, “When we were conceptualizing our ‘Mood badle, pizza badle’ campaign, Saif was a unanimous choice because of his signature style and persona. His versatility in essaying the wide variety of roles through his career perfectly mirrors our campaign about the many moods that Pizza Hut is perfect for! Saif’s involvement in the project has been invaluable. Our mood plays an important role in deciding our food cravings, and we thought who better than the Nawab himself to talk about our new Nawabi Murgh Makhani pizza, which perfectly matches Saif’s kinglike mood. We believe this campaign, developed by Creativeland Asia, has the potential to become one of our most successful yet.”
Speaking on their recent collaboration, Vineet Gautam, CEO & Country Head, BESTSELLER India says that, “SELECTED Homme is a menswear brand that values detailed aesthetics and high quality while being at the forefront of sustainability. Having Saif Ali Khan as the face of the brand in India, goes beyond the typical brand and celebrity ambassador association, we truly believe that he embodies the SELECTED Homme spirit of being classic, sophisticated and stylish. Moreover, he has an instant connection with the target audience of our brand. Over the last 4 years, Saif has represented SELECTED Homme with elegance, authenticity, and a whole lot of passion. And there’s more in store in the coming years.”
On House of Pataudi, Sunder Balasubramanian, CMO, Myntra adds that, “As a multi-faceted and celebrated star, Saif Ali Khan’s popularity is ubiquitous. His illustrious acting career aside, Saif’s impeccable sense of style adds multiple dimensions to his regal Pataudi persona, making him synonymous with Indian ethnic wear that oozes class and splendor, which he most graciously lends to the ‘House of Pataudi’ brand, being the face of it. House of Pataudi continues to draw admiration from the shoppers on Myntra as they get to experience the exuberant collection which not only exudes style, but also reflects the rich story of the legacy Saif is a part of.”
Talking about Khan’s commitment, a Tata Play Spokesperson said, “It has been a delightful experience working with Saif Ali Khan. Our association with him is ongoing and he has been a thorough professional to work with always. His understanding of brand ethos and corporate messaging is tremendous and that made our job easier by several notches. And to top it all up, his embodiment of the slice-of-life characters we capture in our films has been so befitting that it has dialled up our brand recall and awareness.” Saif has been associated with Tata Play as an ambassador since the past few years too.
Elaborating on the vast repertoire of endorsements, Urshita Kochar – Associate Vice President – Talent Management – Exceed Entertainment affirms that, “Brand Saif Ali Khan works for several reasons, primarily the connection that he has with his audiences. The fact that he never shies away from new mediums, the biggest testament would be his success on OTT with Sacred Games he was one of the first actors to explore a whole new medium. The same narrative ties into the endorsements, from more than a 10 year long association with Lays India to spearheading House of Pataudi with stores across the country to being the face of brands in multiple markets like FMCG, Lifestyle, Luxury, Electronics and so on, variety is key to brand Saif.”
Nandini Sharma – Vice President – Sales & Client Servicing, Exceed Entertainment adds that, “What makes Saif Ali Khan’s repertoire of brands so distinct is the fact that not only does it cut across categories but also targets different demographics, which is a rare feat in itself. With his multitude of interests, Saif is a favourite for the brands – using different facets of his life a lot of engaging content is created with him to connect with the consumers. And that’s what has built this huge like-ability for Saif in our country.”
Decoding the actor’s brand profile is similar to his choice of projects in films and OTT, varied, interesting and ahead of its time/ahead of the game!
