Case Study: Amitabh Bachchan - Repositioning a Tomorrow's

Brand
- by Shirshendu Ganguli *

Page - 1

Introduction

Amitabh Bachchan, the brand manager of Brand AB is in a dilemma. He understands how important Brand
AB is to the industry. He had told an interviewer, "With the change in the country and the economy and the
boom in entertainment, I felt the need for a professional attitude towards the entertainment industry.

I am no longer an individual but a corporate entity. They have invested money in me as a brand. They
can recover the money through whatever the brand can do: act, sing, do a concert, endorse a product."
The current situation is clearly showing that Brand AB has now divided itself into two images. Which of
these images should ultimately lead to long-term sustenance and growth of the brand and, thus, helping in
the growth of the industry?

One of the images is that of a father figure, which is a reflection of his core brand value of a Saviour. Brand
AB here is a guide of the people leading them towards the success, which he had achieved through lot of
struggles. And people believe in this brand because they had seen him succeed starting from a humble
background. So Brand AB symbolizes trust, esteem, respectfulness, and love for people all over India. This
Brand AB has been built through years and has a rock solid foundation. This image of a father figure
induces people to make him play roles he played in films like Khakee, Black, etc., or turn towards the
Brand AB whenever there is a need to resurrect a bruised image, e.g., Cadbury after worm controversy,
Dabur Chyawanprash to counter flat sales growth, etc. This image of Brand AB gets a boost when we
speak of Amitabh Bachchan who has already got a Padma Shri award. People believe, love and respect
this image of Brand AB.

Another image of Brand AB, which is becoming prominent in the recent times, is that of a brand which is
acceptable to young generation. The role in 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna' or the advertisements in which he
dances to the tunes of young generation portrays this image. Now this image of Brand AB may be used
due to different reasons - it may be due to the threat it is feeling from other young brands, to make itself
acceptable to young generation, to stay relevant in recent times.

This is not the image of a father figure, guide to the people. This image makes the Brand AB an
evergreen brand, where in spite of being aged, he is still young at heart; here Brand AB is more
of a friend to the new generation.

But this image being a stark contrast to the actual image of Brand AB, there can be a fear of
diluting the core brand image or brand value - that of a guide of masses, a saviour.

Importance of the Brand AB

"Brand Amitabh worth millions of rupees" - this was the heading of a news when Amitabh
Bachchan got ill and had an intestinal surgery on November 30, 2005 at Lilavati Hospital in
Mumbai. In fact he was in the headlines of all papers and television news. One of the main
reasons for this, besides his popularity, is that his illness had put the Bollywood film industry on a
crisis. There is a huge commercial side of the Brand Amitabh - Bollywood was not able to have a
sigh of relief till he was back in action, as a huge Rs. 270 crores was at stake. Brand Amitabh still
sells like hot-cakes in the Bollywood film industry. Chandan Mitra, an eminent journalist and who
also has been nominated to Rajya Sabha, has written an article on him with the title, "The Only
Real Indian Idol".

In 2005, he delivered one super hit (Bunty Aur Babli - Rs. 60 crores), two hits (Black - Rs. 38
crores and Sarkar - Rs. 40 crores) and two semi-hits (Waqt and Viruddh). Some of the other hits
of Big B in 2005 have also done decent business in certain quarters. The worth of Brand Amitabh
cannot be valued only in terms of money - in fact his popularity is considered more than any of
the famous Khan brands like Shahrukh, Salman and Aamir. To analyze the Brand Amitabh, trade
analyst Taran Adarsh has recalled the words of the late director Manmohan Desai: "Amitabh
Bachchan is like a Haley's Comet. A person like him comes once in 76 years. It is only he who
can survive in spite of all odds."

Rise of the Brand AB

On October 11, 1942, the well-known poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan (a friend
of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) were blessed with a baby boy whom they called Amitabh. He
completed his school education from Uttar Pradesh - Sherwood College, Nainital. Then he
earned an arts degree from Delhi University. He began his professional career as a middle-level
executive with a British firm in the east Indian city of Kolkata. But he had acting dreams and
moved to Mumbai in 1968. Just like any other newcomer to Indian cinema, he made the rounds of
film producer's offices asking for his first role or break.

He made his debut in 1969 with the film 'Saat Hindustani'. The film failed at the box office. The
fate was the same for his next few movies like 'Parwaana (1971)', 'Reshma Aur Shera (1971)',
'Bansi Birju (1972)', 'Sanjog (1972)', 'Namak Haram (1973)', 'Saudagar (1973)', etc.

But there was a small group of people who noticed his potential and became unofficial brand
managers of Brand Amitabh - which included legendary Indian film makers like Prakash Mehra,
Ramesh Sippy, Manmohan Desai and Yash Chopra, and the screenplay writing duo Salim-Javed.
In fact his first big hit came in 1973 with Prakash Mehra-directed 'Zanjeer', written by Salim-
Javed.

His tall and dark looks gave a new kind of action hero to the people. As it is said, a brand can
become popular only when it has contextual relevance. And the image of "Angry Young Man"
fighting against a corrupt society fitted exactly with the social and political situation prevalent in
the 70s. "This was appropriate at that time, for in the mid-seventies domestic politics was in a
period of great turmoil, student unrest was high and the employment prospects for educated
young men were bleak at best," as said by Intikhab Virani, Senior Editor at the Indian film trade
publication Box Office Today. People could connect to that brand as it was a hopeless era.

Values of the Brand AB

Brand AB represented a person who has been ill-treated / wronged by the social system and
fighting against the system to get justice. In fact a look at all the hit movies of AB would show the
same brand image. In the film 'Deewar (1975)', his character turns a Mafia don and smuggler due
to injustice done to him in his childhood. In the films 'Trishul (1978)' and 'Laawaris (1981)' his
characters were abandoned by his father. In the film 'Shakti (1982)', his character is that of a son
of a strict police-officer who does not come to save his kidnapped son. So the brand managers of
AB, as mentioned above, used this theme of neglected by society and fighting against it to churn
out more hits like 'Sholay', 'Do Anjaane', 'Don', and 'Naseeb', etc.
So when we talk of this Brand AB, the core value based on which the brand was created and
became successful was that of a "Saviour" - he was a saviour of the neglected masses, by
making them fulfilling their aspirations of fighting against a corrupt society. The other values of the
brand - toughness, determination, trustworthiness - were all in the outer crust of the brand.

Even when we speak of a human brand, the concept of A-R-C (Autonomy, Relatedness and
Competence) explains it perfectly. A brand is popular when it applies to human motivation and
that's what A-R-C theory explains.

Autonomy refers to a person's need to feel that his or her activities are self-chosen. Associated
with the fulfillment of this need is a person's perception that he or she is free from any pressure
and is able to express him or herself as he or she wishes. Brand AB had that image of self-
determination - for the first time it gave the people a sense of freedom to make own choices and
to protest against being oppressed by the society, express their frustration against the corrupt
society without being pressurized. Relatedness refers to a person's need to feel a sense of
closeness with others - and people felt close to the sufferings of the Brand AB, the image of being
neglected by the society as they themselves were suffering from the same situation. Competence
is about the feelings of effectiveness and achievement in his or her activities. People loved the
success and achievement of Brand AB characters while fighting against the corruption. They also
wanted to do that and loved to see Brand AB doing the same on-screen.

Fall of the Brand AB

As is the case of product brands, a human brand should also re-invent with time in order to stay
relevant with the changing social and political context, changing mindset of the people. When we
talk of photo-copying today, we say Xerox instead of photo-copy. Similarly, Brand AB became so
large that film-makers still made the films with that particular brand image of Angry Young Man,
instead of re-positioning the brand. Main problem was social outlook of 80s had changed from
that of gloom to brightness; it had become an era of achievement and achievers. This was due to
the rise of a young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi - it was an era of hope, life was more organized,
there was an all round development in the society. The image of Brand AB as a person fighting
against a corrupt society for social justice was totally out of context.

Then being a close friend of Rajiv Gandhi, he joined politics. Because of his huge popularity, he
won easily from ancestral hometown of Allahabad in 1984. But in politics, he could not get the
guidance of any brand managers, as in case of his film career. He left politics because of
controversies; particularly after Rajiv and he were implicated in the infamous "Bofors" case along
with the U.K. based Hinduja Brothers.

Also the core value of Brand AB - a 'Saviour' of people - got damaged in the process, as
he could not be the same saviour of people in real life; on the other hand, his own image
got corrupted with 'Bofors' controversy. Instead of fighting against corruption, the Brand
AB itself became part of the corruption.

zAnother unsuccessful move was to institutionalize himself with Amitabh Bachchan Corporation
Limited (ABCL), hoping to extend the brand over wider areas. But this effort also failed because it
again tried to encash the old image of Brand AB instead of adding some new value to the brand.
It hosted the Miss World Pageant, in Bangalore, the first of its kind ever in the history of India.
The company then came under debt running into crores of rupees. Some analysts reckon that
ABCL lost over Rs. 7 crores (Rs. 70 million) in organizing the ill-fated Miss World pageant.
ABCL also produced movies like Mani Ratnam's 'Bombay' and Shekhar Kapoor's 'Bandit Queen'.
But most of the movies produced under the ABCL banner bombed at the box office. Even his
return to commercial cinema, with films like 'Mrityudata (1997)', 'Lal Badshah (1999)' and 'Major
Saab (1998)' flopped miserably. One off movie like 'Bade Miyan Chhote Miyan (1998)' was hit
mainly because of the presence of younger co-star like Govinda.

Re-positioning the Brand AB - Rise Again

The Brand AB was recycled with the Indian version of the television show 'Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire' called "Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC)". The show presented the same Brand AB by
re-positioning it. The core value of the brand was still the same - he was a 'Saviour', previously he
was the saviour of the neglected masses; now he became saviour of people, helping them to
achieve and win money. The era of achievers cashed in with 'Achiever' attribute of the Brand AB.
Brand AB is an achiever brand in itself - he has achieved fame and has become a superstar,
starting from a mere struggler in the film industry. In KBC, he became a guide to the people who
wanted to be achievers in life by winning money.

KBC presented AB in classy suits and elegant ties or in traditional Indian attires. He carried both
personalities majestically in the show. He spoke brilliantly in both Hindi and English. One of the
reasons for this successful repositioning of the brand is Amitabh Bachchan's mass appeal in the
role as a classy host. His personality, acting sense, bilingual efficiency (English and Hindi), and
magnificent voice gave the audiences a brilliant TV host.

During its peak time, the Brand AB was differentiated as relevant to the social, economic
and political context. When it lost out on this advantage, the film-makers' hesitance to
depart from the proven formula damaged the brand.KBC repositioned the Brand AB from
the angry young man fighting against corrupt society, to that of an achiever who, having
journeyed from being an unknown common individual to most popular film star of Indian
society, is willing to guide people along the path of achievement. Film-makers' responded
to this repositioned Brand AB with films like 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001)',
'Mohabbatein (2000)', 'Khakee (2004)', 'Black (2005)', etc.

Current Scenario - Threats

There are certain changes in today's society and cinema audiences. First of all, when we talk of
Hindi film market of today, there is a substantial rise of the NRI market. Also there is a huge
growth of multiplex audiences, as the number of multiplexes in India is growing in an exponential
manner. Also the audience is younger. When we talk of the social context, it is the age of young
achievers. Especially due to the growth of software business, more and more young people are
becoming successful and rich at a younger age. These young achievers are also relaxed and fun-
loving in nature. So the brand of Indian film heroes which is becoming more and more popular
today is the Brand Rahul of 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)', or the Brand Nicki of 'Salaam Namaste
(2005)' - young, fun-loving, relaxed achievers. There are new age heroes who fit this brand image
- Sharukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan. They can connect to the young audiences more
spontaneously. All these factors can be a threat to the Brand AB.

Change Efforts & Conflicts of the Brand ABNow the Brand AB is again trying to change, as it
is trying to connect to younger audience. First hint of this change came with the change in
packaging of Brand AB in KBC-2. Amitabh Bachchan appeared in leather jackets and open-
necked shirts in KBC-2; spoke Hinglish, the language of the modern generation. Even the
advertisements in which he appears tries to showcase the younger side of the brand or the
brands endorsed are having a young image in itself. The "Pappu Pass Ho Gaya" ad of Cadbury,
the other brands he endorsed like Pepsi, ICICI or Hajmola, etc., point to this direction only. Also
the character played by the Brand AB in the film 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)' - "Sexy Sam" is
a colorful but old flamboyant character young at heart; who has aged in years but behaves like a
young teenager flirting with the females.

But while the Brand AB is trying to again reposition or re-reposition itself, there are certain
conflicts, which are becoming prominent. First of all, KBC-2 was not as successful as its first part.
Questions are being raised whether there is necessity to go for this change.

The brand endorsements of AB are also conflicting - on one side the Brand AB is trying to
associate itself with younger brands; on the other hand certain brands like Parker Pens, Reid &
Taylor, etc., that he endorses are more related and matching to the actual brand image of Brand
AB - that of esteem, trust due to success over a number of years, one who is above the masses.
Also this was the reason the Brand AB was used for the polio endorsement of Government of
India.

The question also being raised is whether today's multiplex audiences go to see movies like
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Mohabbatein, and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, etc., for Brand AB or
watch young actors like Shahrukh, Hrithik, Abhishek, etc. Also another point with the Brand AB is
the over-use of the brand, just like over-cooking a food - this may lead to the loss in the mystique
of Brand AB. However, AB justified his huge amount of working to the reason of paying back his
debt. He said in an interview, "There was a sword hanging on my head all the time. I spent many
sleepless nights. One day, I got up early in the morning and went directly to Yash Chopraji and
told him that I was bankrupt. I had no films. My house and a small property in New Delhi were
attached. Yashji listened coolly, and then offered me a role in his film 'Mohabattein', after he re-
launched ABCL as AB Corp on his 61st birthday in 2003. "I then started doing commercials,
television and films. And I am happy to say today that I have repaid my entire debt of Rs. 90
crores (Rs. 900 million) and am starting afresh," he added. But still today, after paying back all his
debts, Brand AB is doing the highest number of films and advertisements - the question is
whether this is being done in order to stay relevant to the target audience, and if it is to see
whether it will work? So all these discussions lead us to the two brand images of AB, which was
mentioned at the start.

Questions that can be discussed based on this case: -

After successfully repositioning the Brand AB once, is there any need to change itself again to
the current young image; or the brand image established over the years of evolution is enough to
sustain Brand AB in the years to come?

 The recent efforts to change the Brand AB - is it a rebranding effort or a re-repositioning

 Is there any possibility of dilution of the core brand value due to the change efforts and the
conflicts shown in the image of Brand AB as well as over-use of the brand?

 Discuss where in the BCG matrix Brand AB was and currently where it is, what can be the
future position of the brand in the matrix?