Katrina on TOP

Katrina Kaif’s queen bee status in Bollywood is once again confirmed. She has emerged as the top female celebrity endorsing for maximum number of advertisers in 2008, according to the latest TAM Adex study.

Katrina Kaif’s rising clout is apparent because she is the only female among the top five Indian celebrities with maximum endorsements.

Superstar Shah Rukh Khan grabs the top slot with 21 advertisers, followed by M.S. Dhoni (20), Hrithik Roshan (12), Saif Ali Khan (11) and Katrina Kaif (11).

What’s interesting is that Kat has left behind her glamorous counterparts such as Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and Juhi Chawla by a fair margin.

While Priyanka and Kareena Kapoor endorsed for eight advertisers each, Juhi is a wee bit ahead with nine advertisers in her kitty.

“Katrina Kaif fits the bill of an ideal endorser perfectly. She is very beautiful in addition to being hugely successful. And in the ad world, beauty and success make a potent mix making her the hottest celebrity,” says Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media.

Of late, Kat has been constantly reshuffling the endorsement order by replacing beauty queens. It all started when Katrina edged Priyanka out of the Spice Telecom account.

Soon, the Singh Is Kinng girl made headlines again by replacing Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan in the Nakshatra ad deal and grabbing Sushmita Sen’s Pantene endorsement contract.

“Katrina Kaif is an endorsers’ delight because she has an exclusive appeal in the Indian market. Few celebrities can match up to Kat’s appeal in the sophisticated Indian market because she has always maintained a classy and ultra glam image through her films,” says ad whiz Prahlad Kakkar.

Coming back to the TAM Adex report, SRK has held on to his top position since 2007 while Dhoni moved up in the ranking with 15 advertisers in 2007.

Amitabh Bachchan, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have moved out of the top list in 2008.

Katrina Kaif is now endorsing more than a dozen brands such as Slice, Nakshatra, Veet, Godrej Renew, Spice Telecom, Dyna sandal soap, Nakshatra jewellery and Pantene with Rs 2.5 crore- Rs 3 crore endorsement fee.

“Katrina Kaif brings a lot of freshness to the products she endorses. Besides, she is very popular among the youth. People get tired easily of looking at the same old faces,” says film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Experts feel Kat’s pickand- choose mantra has also helped her gain a foothold in the ad world.

Katrina’s high success rate in films is also a huge factor. Last year, she delivered two big hits — Race and Singh Is Kinng. She will also star in Ajab Prem Ki Gajab Kahani ,Rajniti and New York . “A star’s brand value remains intact if he or she keeps delivering hits. It’s important to maintain a high success rate to stay in demand because the ad world is ruthless to its star endorsers,” concludes Kakkar.