Shah Rukh Khan's popularity with brands remains high even as his image has suffered since the indictment of son, Aryan Khan, in the Cordelia cruise ships drugs bust case said industry experts. Khan, who has an estimated brand valuation of $51.1 million, is back in the limelight after several brands withdrew their advertisements featuring him during the peak of the controversy.
This includes the most well-known Byju's advertisment for which Shah Rukh Khan is an ambassador of the company. According to Duff & Phelps Celebrity Brand Valuation Study 2020, Khan ranked fourth after cricketer Virat Kohli, who was on the top of the list, followed by Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh.
"Shah Rukh is one of India's most loved human brands. The cruise drugs case impacted him momentarily but it has not dented his enormous popularity with the masses...it is not surprising that Shahrukh is back in visible circulation," said Indian Institute of Human Brands Chief Mentor Sandeep Goyal to PTI.
With Diwali season coming up, many brands are pulling out the stops to produce advertising campaigns. Khan has been signed on by Mondelez India as part of its Diwali Cadbury Chocokates campaign which is the first advertisement the star will be seen in since his son's arrest. Khan has also endorsed the likes of Dish TV, Hyundai, Pepsi, D'decor and others.
"It is the success of our first edition that inspired us to further take our purpose of generosity at the heart of these businesses and make their 2021 Diwali even more joyful, and we are thrilled to onboard the nation's most beloved and talented actor, Shah Rukh Khan as the face of the current campaign," said Mondelez India Senior Director (Marketing) Anil Viswanathan.
Advertisements featuring Shah Rukh Khan are back on screen, with Khan being retained to advertisements for Vimal Paan Masala and LG Electronics.