The most talked-about celebrity campaigns of 2021

The year 2021 saw brands make a comeback with some remarkable campaigns after a muted 2020 that was marred by the global pandemic. While most campaigns released in 2020 were centered around spreading awareness about how to keep oneself safe from COVID infection, being empathetic towards the overall sentiments of the general population, applauding the frontline warriors that kept the healthcare, retail, administration, and media ecosystem operational even as the country was put under long months of lockdowns; the narrative in 2021 switched to recovery and staying resilient.

Celebrities continued to pop up in campaigns in 2021 since the marketers view celebrity star power, pricey as it may be, as the ultimate way to keep people tuned into ads and sharing them on social media.

Despite the year’s unfulfilled promises, efforts by the likes of Centuary Mattress, Dabur, Pearson, and others delivered boldness and resonated with consumers. Here are some of the campaigns that caught everyone’s attention and were talked about a lot on social media platforms.

India’s sleep specialist brand, Centuary Mattress has launched its latest marketing campaign called “Choice of Champions” featuring their brand ambassador Sania Mirza for their flagship variants MyPowerMatt mattress and Orthopaedic mattress. The TVC film communicates the role of better sleep in leading an active and healthy lifestyle.

Dabur Honey has unveiled a new campaign titled ‘Dabur Honey is as Pure as 24Karat Gold’, featuring Rashmika Mandanna. It highlights the importance of honey for health.  Dabur India has also announced the signing of Mandanna as the new brand ambassador for the honey brand. A series of campaigns featuring Mandanna rolled out across media and the association played a pivot role  in consolidating Dabur Honey’s foothold in the South Indian markets.

Pearson has announced Bollywood actor Vicky Kaushal as its new brand ambassador.  He featured in Pearson India’s campaign and activations.  India is a strategic growth market for Pearson, focused on driving transformation, change and digital innovation. Kaushal as the brand ambassador helped the company in building a strong relationship with youth and strengthen its direct-to-consumer proposition, the education publishing and assessment service Pearson’s collaboration with Kaushal is a testament to the company’s commitment to continuously evolving with changing times as it enters a new era of Direct to customers.

CakeZone, the dessert brand from the house of Curefoods India, has  announced South Indian actor Megha Akash as their brand ambassador for the coming year. Her popularity and reach in the southern market will give CakeZone a fillip in this geography, much in line with our growth strategy. The characters that Megha has brought to life on the big screen exude a certain freshness and charm that resonates with CakeZone’s philosophy of spreading joy and being part of people’s happy occasions. 

Esprit, the American watch brand, has appointed Bollywood actor Ananya Panday as its celebrity brand ambassador. Esprit India partner AP Group looks to pursue an aggressive expansion plan for Esprit watches in India and the brand is eyeing to regain the market share in the watch category. Currently, Esprit is targeting young female customers who are looking to add zing to their style statement. The brand is taking forward its India journey with great enthusiasm while creating high-quality, affordable premium fashion for millennials and Gen Z. 

Piramal Realty has announced Farhan Akhtar as its new brand ambassador. The celebrity has joined Rahul Dravid to be the face of Piramal Realty’s portfolio of projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. As part of the new campaign, the actor and director will be positioned as an experienced ambassadors to the brand and demonstrate Piramal Realty’s vision of designing high-quality projects that will add value to the lives of its residents.

Beco, the D2C home, kitchen and personal care brand, has roped in Dia Mirza as its new brand ambassador. Mirza played a critical role in Berco’s upcoming marketing endeavors and advocate the brand as being category-defining in the kitchen and home care space. Dia Mirza is known for being an eco-warrior. What makes this partnership effortless is the fact that Dia has been one of our biggest and earliest supporters since the launch of the brand. Bringing her on board as a brand ambassador and investor feels like a natural extension of our association and will enable to increasingly assert the importance of eco-friendly alternatives at a much larger scale.

The Man Company in collaboration with Ayushmaan Khurrana has launched three new distinctive digital films with the core message revolving around ‘some things are best left to experts. Conceptualized and executed by the brand’s digital partner What Works, the campaign features brand ambassador Ayushmann Khurrana, using every arrow in his quiver to deliver the powerful but warm-natured take on the influencer phenomenon. The three new films positively build on the brand’s existing campaign ‘Bring out the #GentlemaninYou’. In the first film, Khurrana features a personal finance influencer doling out tips to make money in the stock market. In the second film, he plays the role of a food influencer, sharing the secret recipe for his favorite beard oil. While in the third video, he gives tips on getting six-pack abs in 48 hours.