Shahrukh Khan reigns supreme in World Cup final ads

Shahrukh Khan stood out in World Cup Final ads, dominating brand ambassador recall on Saturday evening as India triumphed over South Africa to secure the victory. While Virat Kohli dominated on the field, Shahrukh Khan ruled the airwaves with advertisements for Castrol, Everest Masalas, Denver, and Vimal Pan Masala, in varying order.

The Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB) conducted a telephonic survey the morning after the final match, reaching out to 478 respondents across India (262 male, 216 female) aged 18-40. The most recalled celebrity endorsers from the World Cup Final were:

1. Shahrukh Khan - 82%
2. Virat Kohli - 61%
3. Ajay Devgn - 52%
4. MS Dhoni - 49%
5. Sachin Tendulkar - 32%
6. Tiger Shroff - 23%
7. Alia Bhatt - 19%
8. Ranveer Singh & Rahul Dravid - 14%
9. Hrithik Roshan - 13%
10. Amitabh Bachchan & Rohit Sharma - 12%

There was no significant difference between male and female respondents. Interestingly, the most recalled ad from the finals was Birla Opus paints, which did not feature any celebrity endorser. Parle, the second most recalled brand, also did not use a famous endorser.

Shahrukh Khan's ads for Vimal and Everest made it into the top 5 in terms of ad recall. According to Carol Goyal, Executive Director of IIHB, "Advertising presence matters significantly. Shahrukh Khan had the highest visibility among all celebrity endorsers during the World Cup telecast, appearing prominently in multiple ad breaks and emerging as the most visible endorser during the finale."

Dr. Sandeep Goyal, Chief Mentor of IIHB, noted, "This research underscores Shahrukh Khan's resurgence as a favorite for brands with substantial budgets targeting a World Cup final audience. Not long ago, Ranveer Singh and Virat Kohli dominated, with Shahrukh Khan considered a fading star. Now, he's made a made a strong comeback."

IIHB researchers also observed a halo effect in the study: Virat Kohli, despite minimal ad spots for MRF Tyres during the telecast, saw increased ad recall due to his commanding performance on the field during the finals.

IIHB specializes in studying celebrities as human brands and publishes the bi-annual TIARA report, which rates over 200 celebrities on 64 key attributes.

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