Queen of Endorsements

Abhishek Bachchan (via last.fm)

Ashwairya Rai Bachchan may have given up as the face of big brands like Coca-Cola, Loreal Skin Whitening Cream and Nakshatra Diamond jewellery in India, but Aishwarya Rai is still riding high on successful and long-standing International endorsements.

Aishwarya has completed nearly a decade of endorsing Swiss luxury watch brand Longines and Iternational soap Lux. She has also been the brand ambassador of global haircare brand L'Oreal since 2003.

Aishwarya was never a big or major endorser of Indian products. She has an impressive list of international brands to her name and that's because she is not just an actress who can be judged on hits and flops, but the fact that she is a representative of the Indian woman and is an ambassador of the country.Even representatives of the brands that Aishwarya endorses feel she adds a new dimension to their products.


Let's explore the reasons why is Ash so big a brand herself...People across the world love Bollywood films and they go housefull. Wherever we have travelled (with Aishwarya) the response has been overwhelming. She is a global face and we would like to continue this association as long as possible. For Aishwarya, who has made her presence felt internationally through English language films like 'Bride and Prejudice', 'Mistress of Spices', 'Provoked' and 'Pink Panther 2', signing films and endorsements has been a very selective affair. Noted ad-man Prahlad Kakkar says Aishwarya is sought by well-known brands because she is more than just an actress and is often perceived as an ambassador of India.



Katrina is shining but Ash never fades away from scene!!!

A lot had been said about Aishwarya's dipping popularity as Bollywood's reigning endorsement queen when 24-year-old Katrina Kaif replaced her as the face of Nakshatra jewellery last year. And speculation was rife about the reason behind the replacement, with some saying that Katrina was roped in to add more youthfullness to the brand. But it was apparently Aishwarya who decided to dissociate herself from the brand.There was a lot of buzz when Katrina stepped in as the brand ambassador for Nakshatra. But it wasn't that Aishwarya was dethroned, because the brand was branching out into different accessories.Ash had earlier signed De Beers for their brand Nakshatra. Later De Beers sold this brand to the Gitanjali group and they started branching out into accessories like hairbands, clips, etc. That's when she decided to disassociate herself from the brand and later it went to Katrina.

When she was approached to promote L'Oreal's skin whitening cream, the beauty queen-turned-actress refused as she didn't want to endorse such a product especially in India, where one's skin colour is an issue.Then was it passed on to Sonam Kapoor.

Aishwarya, who celebrated her second wedding anniversary with actor husband Abhishek Bachchan /a>on April 20th, also had personal reasons to withdraw her association with Coca-Cola, one of the biggest brands she was endorsing in India. Aishwarya was never asked to leave endorsing a product, it was always her own decision. When she left Coca-Cola, it was a decision taken only after she was going to marry Abhishek because the Bachchans no longer believe in promoting and endorsing aerated drinks.

Whether it is films or endorsements, She is and will be very selective about her work. She take up work which suits her and fits in her schedule. Aishwarya is definite on this.Aishwarya taking home whopping Rs.1 billion from advertising assignments annually...we can't assert more that she is the Queen of Endorsements.