Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan is the new spokesperson of the government’s famous Incredible India campaign to market the country to potential tourists in abroad. Mr Bachchan received a letter from the Tourism Ministry, informing him of his selection for a reported three-year arrangement.
Mr Bachchan has been recruited directly by the government, unlike actor Aamir Khan, who was removed from the campaign on Wednesday evening. It was being said that Mr Khan was punished for his recent.”intolerance in india remark”, Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said that the actor featured in the Incredible India campaign through an ad agency, McCann Erickson, whose contract with the government had expired.
Using a fresh face as a brand ambassador gives the audience a new perspective and enables to widen the brand’s reach. The government’s selection of Amitabh Bachchan as its Tourism brand ambassador (the Incredible India campaign) personifies its unwillingness to take on a fresh face as its ambassador. Although there is no doubt of Mr. Bachchan’s influencing persona, the government may have unknowingly pigeon-holed itself to a safe zone in terms of reaching out to a newer audience.
An ambassador embodies the true spirit of the brand, and is often selected for his or her unique personality with which the brand resonates. For instance, Tata Motors recently tied up with Argentinian star footballer Lionel Messi, an awe-inspiring man driven by self-belief and loved by football fans the world over, especially the youth. Similarly, Micromax signed on Hugh Jackman in 2013 in order to position itself as an international brand. These brand endorsers have helped their brands to expand their footprint across the globe in various international markets.
