Impact of Bollywood Celebrities and Indian Cricketers as Brand Endorser in Kolkata

In the commencement of the new century, Celebrity brand endorsement is very prominent across the globe. Bollywood and Cricket are two most important components that unite the entire Indian population. The Hindi Film Stars (HFS) from Bollywood, Mumbai and the Indian Cricketers (IC) enjoy huge admiration and fan following among the Indian population. The primary objective of this study is aimed at understanding the impact of Bollywood Celebrities and Indian Cricketers as brand endorser among respondents of different demographic profile in Kolkata. The study is conducted with ten Bollywood Celebrities and ten Indian Cricketers. Primary research is conducted by applying cross sectional research design in this study. The sample size comprised of 400 male and female respondents randomly selected by applying cluster sampling method and data was collected by administering a structured questionnaire. Independent sample t-test was conducted and SPSS was used for analyzing the data. The findings of the study clearly highlight the fact that the Hindi Film Stars (HFS) from Bollywood Mumbai are having a greater impact in generating brand recall and brand preference compared to the India Cricketers (IC) among both male and female respondents in Kolkata. The present piece of work is expected to make a humble contribution to the existing body of knowledge in the academic front and also provide valuable insight to advertiser and their advertising agencies while selecting a celebrity for connecting with their target audience in Kolkata.