Some celebrity-brand partnerships become so synonymous that it is hard to imagine one without the other. Shah Rukh Khan and Hyundai, MS Dhoni and Gulf Oil, and Salman Khan and Thums Up are examples of associations that have built recognition beyond individual campaigns. Over time, the celebrity becomes part of the brand’s identity, giving every new campaign a head start with audiences. But what makes an association last? Industry experts believe the answer lies in a combination of consistency, credibility and cultural relevance, rather than the number of years a celebrity spends endorsing a brand.
Kshitij Kaushik, Founder, The Germ, says a long-term association works when the celebrity’s persona continues to complement the brand’s positioning. Salman Khan’s rugged, larger-than-life image, for instance, reinforced Thums Up’s personality, making the partnership feel intuitive to consumers. “It's not only about the number of years a celebrity has stayed with a brand. It's about whether the ethos the celebrity stands for still makes sense for the brand,” Kaushik says.
The same logic applies to automotive brands, where attributes such as reliability, performance and aspiration often shape consumer perception. Shah Rukh Khan’s versatility has helped sustain his association with Hyundai, allowing the brand to draw on different facets of his personality without losing the familiarity of the partnership. Dhoni’s association with Gulf Oil, meanwhile, benefits from his sporting credibility, composure and interest in machinery.
Ayush Nambiar, Communications & Brand Strategist at Flags Communication, believes such partnerships have an advantage in an increasingly fragmented advertising environment. It taps into accumulated consumer memory. Recalling campaigns such as Cadbury’s ‘Kuch Khaas Hai’, Fevicol’s absurdist storytelling, Vodafone’s pug and ZooZoos, and Surf Excel’s ‘Daag Achhe Hain’, Nambiar points out that memorable advertising often leaves audiences with more than a product message. It builds an emotional connection with the brand. “Familiarity compounds,” he says, citing Hyundai and Shah Rukh Khan as an example of how decades of association can make a celebrity an intrinsic part of a brand’s recall. However, familiarity does not automatically translate into equity. As Nambiar puts it, “Longevity alone does not create brand equity. Consistency of character does.”
The creative idea, therefore, remains critical. A recognisable face may attract attention, but the association must make sense for the product. Ideally, the audience should instinctively understand why that celebrity represents that particular brand.
Harish Bijoor, Business & Brand Strategy Specialist and Founder of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc, adds another dimension: the risk of celebrity overexposure. When one personality endorses too many brands, consumers may struggle to distinguish between the associations, diluting the value of each partnership. “In the automotive segment, for instance, every brand is a clutter and every variant of its offering is a clutter,” Bijoor comments, warning that adding ambassador clutter to an already crowded category can make brand differentiation even harder.
Reputation is equally important. A celebrity’s missteps can spill over to the brands they represent, making the choice of ambassador a strategic decision rather than a simple exercise in maximising reach. Despite these risks, Bijoor believes long-term associations can be highly rewarding when brands remain committed to a suitable personality. “Shah Rukh being equal to Hyundai, and Hyundai being equal to Shah Rukh is a formula,” he notes, adding that such partnerships can reinforce the credibility of both the ambassador and the product.
Alpa Dedhia, Co-Founder & CEO, Commix Global, highlights another consideration in celebrity selection: cultural relevance. The growing use of regional celebrities reflects brands’ efforts to connect with audiences through language, cultural nuance and familiar contexts. Regional personalities can make brand stories feel more immediate and relatable, while digital platforms enable them to build audiences beyond their home markets. This gives brands opportunities to develop culturally rooted campaigns that can travel across geographies. The focus, therefore, is moving beyond the biggest available name towards the right fit for a brand’s audience and objectives.
Ultimately, a celebrity becomes a brand asset when the association builds meaning with every campaign, rather than merely repeating a familiar face. That requires creative consistency, careful management of reputational risks, and the flexibility to remain relevant as audiences and brands evolve. As Nambiar sums it up, “Ten years with the wrong ambassador is merely a long contract.”
