New Delhi: Big-ticket endorsement deals are back in Bollywood with companies signing popular names after a gap of almost eight to 10 months as an improved consumption outlook and the Covid vaccine programme are fuelling positive sentiment, industry executives said. The industry appears to have overcome some of the negative perceptions in the wake of an actor’s death that sparked investigations and TV witch hunts, they added.Ceat Tyres has named Aamir Khan for an integrated marketing campaign created by ad agency O&M, while JSW Paints has roped in Alia Bhat and Ayushman Khurrana for its first marketing campaign. Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) and Dabur both named Akshay Kumar as the face of their respective health brands, Horlicks and Chyawanprash, while Emami has picked Juhi Chawla for its hygiene brands. Husband-wife duo Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan have been signed by health and fitness brand Naturamore.“While new endorsements had naturally slowed down during the lockdown due to the pandemic, there’s been an upswing in deals pre-IPL (Indian Premier League),” said Yash Raj Films associate vice president, talent and brand partnerships, Jayesh Kishanchandani. “We see this trend continuing with positivity from the announcement of the vaccine coming in.”YRF has locked in multiple deals for Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Ayushmann Khurrana for the new year. “Many brands had postponed their 2020 campaigns due to Covid-19 and they are also looking to come back strongly in 2021,” Kishanchandani added.A talent management executive said fresh deals are in the process of being formalised for Deepika Padukone and Sara Ali Khan. Padukone, represented by Kwan, did not comment. Khan’s management firm could not be reached for comment. 80126245Pull Factor of BollywoodApart from new deals, many brands have also begun running new campaigns featuring top celebrities. One such example is Reliance Jio Infocomm, which is running new high-decibel ads featuring Padukone and Ranveer Singh.In addition to hopes of sustained economic recovery, it’s also the pull factor of Bollywood that continues to bring in new consumers, company executives said.Emami, which forayed into the hygiene space amid the pandemic, signed Chawla for its BoroPlus range of sanitisers, soaps and handwash to “help popularise the new products.” Emami director Priti Sureka said, “Juhi enjoys an all-pervasive acceptance all over India across age, gender and geographies.”A TAM Adex report released last week said the top actors, including Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Alia Bhatt and Anushka Sharma, added about 40% share of average advertising volume during the year, despite the pandemic-induced slump.In a country with few sports celebrities barring cricketers such as Virat Kohli, Bollywood remains a constant draw across target groups, urban and rural consumers, besides helping to create awareness about newer brands, executives said.“The campaign with Saif and Kareena will help raise awareness about the brand which will motivate direct sellers to approach target consumers,” said Sujit Jain, chairman of Netsurf Network, a direct seller.Likewise, electrical goods maker Syska Group named Rajkummar Rao as the new face of the brand to promote its light and fan range.“He has a strong connect with urban audiences, as well as with those from tier two and three markets, which make up the large segment of Syska’s target groups,” said Syska Group director Rajesh Uttamchandani.Coca-Cola and PepsiCo have also released big campaigns featuring popular names such as Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor for the first time this year, despite this being off-season for cola brands, They did not release their usual summer campaigns in their peak sales quarter of April-June, which had coincided with the lockdown months.A PepsiCo India spokesperson said its new “winter chill” campaign with Salman Khan intends to democratise consumption of soft drinks irrespective of the season.“Salman's presence makes the campaign more relatable given his mass popularity across the country,” the spokesperson said.Fees and durations of deals however are down anywhere between 25-30% compared with pre-Covid levels.“Deals are being signed for shorter durations and selectively across platforms, unlike pre-Covid times when brands signed up bulk deals for two-three years at a stretch, and across all mainstream and social media,” said Krossover Entertainment founder Vinita Bangard, who has worked on deals with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Shah Rukh Khan.Among other recent signings, sports brand Skechers named Ananya Pandey as its female Indian brand ambassador. Mondelez has signed MS Dhoni’s daughter, five-year-old Ziva, for her first endorsement deal for Oreo biscuits alongside Dhoni. Subscription-based, eco-friendly home cleaners, The Better Home, named Dia Mirza as brand ambassador.