International Journal of Business and Management Invention (IJBMI)

ISSN (Online): 2319-8028, ISSN (Print):2319-801X

www.ijbmi.org || Volume 10 Issue 1 Ser. III || January 2021 || PP 31-38

Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on

ROI(Return on Investment) and Sales on brands providing Fast
Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)
AUTHOR
ABSTRACT-
Since many companies are following the trend of using celebrity faces for advertising their product / brand for
ingrowth profits and sales. We have made a certain comparative analysis on the products / brands that do not
hire any celebrity for promoting their product, on the contrary the products / brands that hire suitable celebrity
faces for promoting their product in the market. We have taken a consumer perspective for writing this research
paper, where we will be analyzing what psychological mindset a consumer has while purchasing a particular
product or service and how influential a commercial ad makes a consumer to buy a particular product or utilize
a service. It is very much evident that the brands which hire favorable celebrity faces often create an impact on
the consumer in terms of better profits due to higher sales. As, the current period is all about endorsing your
product with the celebrity face that is being liked by the population and who has an influence to control the
choices of the customers. Furthermore, we will be doing an in-depth analysis, for understanding the marketing
perspective used by big brands and companies to launch their product in the market in such a way that it
creates an influential impact on the consumer.
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Date of Submission: 15-01-2021 Date of Acceptance: 31-01-2021
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I. INTRODUCTION
Today’s scenario is all about digitalized marketing and the brands that take forward celebrity faces not
only target the children but the adults as well as their focus is directed towards the population mix. We will be
looking forward for FMCG products for conducting a research and we have particularly targeted consumer
behavior and different marketing skills being adopted by the companies to promote their product in the
digitalized market. In the FMCG sector we have particularly taken chocolate as a product, we shall be
differentiating different brands in terms of the impact created by influential celebrity advertisements and the
authenticity of the product. Though, product demands different strategies with the changing trends that are being
adopted by the company in order to safeguard their product from bearing the losses and to make the product last
forever in the eyes and minds of the customers. In the highly competitive market, where upcoming chocolate
brands are emerging and controlling the market segment, it has become more crucial to understand the
marketing policies being adopted by different brands by hiring the celebrities for endorsing their product.

Industrial overview (FMCG) at global level –

FMCG industry, the fast-moving consumer goods industry is the key contributor towards any economy,
it is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy providing employment to around 3 million people which
accounts for 5% of the total employment distribution in the country. This industry has the highest coverage
because of the presence of big companies (organized and unorganized) and a number of brands procuring the
market segment daily. This industry comprises of different segments which are utilized by households on the
regular basis. Though, the industry is going to run on forever basis as there are no end toward the regular
requirements of an end customer. The industry is being handled gracefully during the last fifty years making a
worldwide growth towards different products and segments. This industry provides goods and services that are
to be utilized by each and every segment of the society whether rich or poor. This industry has been growing in
positive numbers in past few years as the daily needs of a regular customer are not going to end in fact with an
increasing population the needs are expected to rise in the coming future. If we take into consideration the
global perspective forecast, it says that in 2025 the global FMCG market size was be valued at $ 10020.0 billion
in 2017 and is expected to reach $ 153601.8 billion by 2025 with the expected CAGR( Compound Annual
Growth Rate) growth of 5.4 %. The high competition amongst the market players and the retail market are
expected to make the global FMCG market grow in a positive state. The FMCG industry has been following
trend of possessing the healthy lifestyle which is positively affecting the FMCG market on a global circle.
Though the FMCG industry is not going to be in losses as the products and services offered by the companies

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 Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and ..
are of daily usage and the changing patterns of the environment might affect the demand in a positive number
and not in losses. The picture here denotes the domination of food and beverage products over other FMCG
products in the global segment.

Industrial overview at Indian segment (FMCG)-

particularly increased the demand of certain products in the market, raising concern for the increasing If
we talk about growth of FMCG industry in the Indian market, it does not make much difference in terms of
growth perspective taken on the global front. In Indian market FMCG industry ranks fourth in the names of
largest industries in the Indian segment. If we talk about the market size, the retail market of India is expected
to reach US dollar 1.1 trillion by 2022, with the growth of rural and urban consumption in the products. The
rural consumption in the FMCG industry contributes 36% of the overall FMCG spending’s and the urban
segment contributes 13% towards the FMCG spending, though the analysis says that the rural segment has more
undertakings toward the FMCG industry than the urban segment. This industry is known to be the most
prominent industry as the government has a back-end towards this industry in terms of promotional and
investment activities. Recently the government has allowed 100% FDI is in particular segments of FMCG
industry including food processing and retail Industry which would further help the industry to grow and
prosper in a positive number. If we talk about the government initiative towards promoting this industry the
government has been initiating new policies and plans for the industry to grow such as implementation of GST
of 18% under certain products and services consumption. The forecasts say that the rural consumption in the
FMCG market is expected to rise in 2025 by US dollar 23.6 billion. On the contrary the unorganized market of
FMCG sector is expected to grow on a faster pace as compared to the organized the sector of FMCG industry.
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 Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and ..
As the organized sector is more concerned with the brand consciousness which limits their growth in the FMCG
industry. Another prominent factor which is increasing the demand for FMCG industry is the increased demand
of food products in the market, the major reason behind is the rising population. Another factor behind the
promotional activities of FMCG industry is the usage of digitalized portal for promoting the products at a more
convenient pricing strategy. The forecast says that nearly 45% of the products consumed in India were
made/manufactured online, and the increased usage of online portals has growth of the FMCG industry. The
FMCG industry in India is expected to grow at a CAGR of 27.9% which is much more than the number of
CAGR growth reported in the global front.

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 Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and ..
Selection of product (Cadbury chocolate)-
Since, we have taken a chocolate brand keeping in mind the consumer behavior as it is the most liked
and the fastest selling product in the market worldwide, though before talking about the endorsement policies
adopted by Cadbury brand and the challenges, they faced in order to procure the product after the 2002 scam. I
would first start by introducing the product and its categorization. Cadbury known as Cadbury’s is a British
multinational company started in 1824 bye Kraft Foods, and now known as the second largest confectionery
brand in the world after Mars. The product gets sold in more than 50 countries. It has different variants and
chocolates in different flavors which are being liked and appreciated not only by the younger children but the
adults as well. The next chocolate brand I have selected for the analysis Ferrero Roche, a chocolate and hazelnut
confectionery brand produced by Italian chocolate Ferrero. The brand was introduced in 1982 in Europe and
was labelled by the name of Michael Ferrero who was the founder of this brand. The Ferrero Rocher chocolate
brand is being sold in more than 40 countries and out of the 40 countries, 28 countries are from Europe that is
home country where the brand actually started. The Ferrero Rocher brand has no such variants, a single
chocolate is being produced under this brand in a same flavor. This chocolate comes under the premium price
range, after so many limitations this product is being liked and preferred by the people in the Indian market
despite the same flavor and same premium packaging range. Making a comparison of both the chocolates the
major difference between the two is Celebrity endorsement. Cadbury India has hired Amitabh Bacchan to
endorse their product after the 2002 worn issue, the major reason behind hiring a brand ambassador for the same
is to recreate the sales and to make people believe in purchasing chocolates as a healthy option for them. On the
contrary Ferrero Rocher brand did not opted for any brand ambassador for promoting their product in the market
as the product is already incurring good profits in terms of sales and despite the limitations, the product is
encouraging more and more customer base. But if we take out in-depth analysis of both the brands there can be
a slight difference in terms of salesforce effect, when a company hires celebrities for promoting their product
and the brands with do not prefer hiring celebrities for promoting their product.

Role of media on consumer behavior-

Since ages, advertisement and role plays play an efficient role in promoting a particular brand or a service in the
FMCG industry, as it influences the psychological mindset of a consumer towards buying a particular product or
service and furthermore creating a need and desire for a particular product. Further mentioned below the impact
of advertising on the consumer behavior and how it affects the sales pattern for a particular product or service.
 Influencing the minds of consumer- Sometimes, the media advertising attracts the attention of a
consumer towards the product that is not often used by that person, but a famous celebrity face might create a
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 Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and ..
need for purchasing that product in a particular timeframe. As the grace of Bollywood celebrity has been jested
all around in the Indian market which requires the customer to believe in the product that is being advertised by
their famous celebrity faces and it creates the imbalance in the minds of the consumer too that says that product
is being utilized by their famous celebrity faces. These influential techniques are being used by marketing agents
to promote a brand in the market in order to improve their sales and profit numbers and for that they only choose
particular celebrities which have a good reputation in the market and are renown faces working in the industry
for a longer period of time as it creates a more stagnant impact in the mindset of the consumers to purchase the
product.
 Informational advertising- There happens many a times that the advertisements come up with
something new, creative, innovative and informational that impacts the consumer on the emotional front. For
example- Cadbury India came up with marketing campaign on the family growth with the famous instinct of
endorsing Maa, which gives the consumer an emotional connection with the product and they purchased the
product as it builds an emotional relationship with the consumer via a social media.
 Targeting the mixed population- Since the chocolates are being preferred and consumed by the
younger children as they are fond of having sweet tooth, but the marketing campaigns Cadbury is hiring is to
particularly target the mixed population of the Indian segment as not only children would like and purchase my
product but the younger adults would also prefer buying my product from the store when they see any famous
celebrity face attached to it. Taking an example of Amitabh Bachchan, Amitabh Bacchan re-releasing in a
campaign ‘Kuchh Meetha ho jaaye’, with this particular slogan has affected the customer base so extensively
that every house has a Cadbury chocolate at the place and they prefer eating it in night after consuming their
dinner.
 Following the upcoming trend- With the passage of time the trends also changed and different variants
come in different varieties that excites the consumer for the same. Though, marketing campaigns gives an
insight to the consumer regarding the product on going in the market.

Comparison( in terms of sales)-

We will be particularly comparing the sales of Cadbury chocolates before Amitabh Bachchan came into picture
and the sales after Amitabh Bachchan and changes felt in the brand and the points of difference will be further
mentioned as follows

Points of difference Cadbury chocolate(before endorsement) Cadbury chocolate(after endorsement)

Sales perspective News headline came in 2019 that Cadbury In 2019 Kartik Aryan was being appointed as a brand
chocolates are been infected by HIV, which ambassador for promoting the chocolate brand Cadbury
affected the sales criteria of the chocolates dairy milk as the new face of Cadbury chocolate as the
in negative numbers. Cadbury in total widespread negative impact of on chocolates by the
accounts for 70% of the market share in the infected HIV protocol was somehow been handled by
FMCG industry but after the downfall, the the entry of Kartik Aryan as the sales went in a positive
market share reduced to 50%, which was number after being advertised by Kartik Aryan. The
further being handled by the market officials sales made by Cadbury after the advertisement made by
and the brand owners effectively and Kartik Aryan was worth dollar 168 2.1 million making a
creatively. gain of twice avid competitor PepsiCo.
Importance of The 2003 case where worms were being In 2004 the made a comeback by hiring Amitabh
advertising found in the Cadbury chocolate as being Bachchan as the brand ambassador and Us In 2004 they
responded by the consumers, later on made a comeback by hiring Amitabh Bachchan as the
Cadbury brand issued a statement that this brand ambassador and with the arrival of Amitabh
has not been possible at their manufacturing Bachchan the sales went prominently high with the hike
stage and put it on the retailers but it has 40% in growth. Cadbury chocolate enjoyed the leverage
negatively impacted the sales percentage of of hiring Amitabh Bacchan as a celebrity face as the
the Cadbury chocolate as the Cadbury sales 2003 case left the Cadbury chocolate brand in two
went down by 15% after this news in curing losses in great numbers and the smart decisions taken by
the loss of 150 million dollars. the brand has helped the company not to include the
previous losses but to gain the profitability in numbers
at a huge extent.
Digital platform The digitalized platform of Cadbury The arrival of Amitabh Bachchan and Kartik Aryan
chocolate has made it more efficient and health brand grow in terms of positive numbers and
creative in the marketing campaigns to sales perspective. Despite the competitive rate Cadbury
promote the brand in a more prospective chocolate brand has been the best-selling chocolate
manner, though it affects the sale but in a brand in the competitive market after mass, and the
stagnant number as the ‘Thank you’ slogan forecast analyzed that the major reason behind the sales
initiative taken by Cadbury chocolate brand increment is the brand ambassadors and the celebrity
helped to grow the numbers in terms of faces that promotes the chocolate brand that is being
sales but in a stagnant range. . preferred by the age group of different people with
perspective to their liking for different celebrities.

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Brief introduction to sales of Ferrero Rocher-

Since Ferrero Rocher is a premium brand that does not follow any promotional policy to promote their
brand in the market as there are already overwhelmed in terms of engaging more customer base but if we take a
comparison of Cadbury India and Ferrero Rocher , more consumers target Cadbury India over purchasing
Ferrero Rocher, as Ferrero Rocher as a chocolate brand is a occasional chocolate which is being preferred by the
population when they are celebrating any occasional activity as it comes under the premium range of products
where as Cadbury chocolate has been utilized and consumed for any occasion as it comes under the budget and
tastes authentic. Though, here we are making a comparison of Ferrero Rocher brand and Cadbury sales in terms
of certain years where the celebrity faces are being hired by Cadbury and not Ferrero Rocher and the impact
initiated on both the products.
 Sales in 2019- The Cadbury chocolate brand hired Kartik Aryan as a brand ambassador and their sales
hiked by 9%(6746 cr) in the Indian market. On the contrary the Ferrero Rocher sales went down by 4% in
Indian market but the sales were found progressing in the global market segment.
 Sales in 2014- The Ferrero Rocher brand sales went down by 10% in the year 2014, as they lack in
consumer advertising and brand positioning, On the contrary the sales in Cadbury chocolate brand went up by
14% as they hired Amitabh Bacchan as a brand ambassador for promoting their product in the Indian market
segment. Amitabh Bachchan being the face of Bollywood is being appreciated by maximum number of people
in the population as he is one of the renowned actors and any product endorsed by such a renowned actor is
being upgraded by the consumers and sometimes the consumers purchase the product as a matter of respect for
a particular celebrity face.
 Heavy pricing policy- Ferrero Rocher brand is a premium brand and the chocolates that come under
Ferrero Rocher brand are quite expensive and the forecast says that due to lack of advertising and awareness
policies and showing less activeness towards the society, the brand is slowly and steadily diminishing its market
value as they are less preferred by the people in the rural segment and is more preferred by the people in the
urban segment and the rural population consumption is 34% as compared to the urban consumption population
14%, this was a difference of consumption of the Ferrero Rocher brand as compared to the Cadbury chocolate
brand which is less expensive and the company is regularly posing new brand ambassadors for their consumers
to attract them with the quality and the quantity of the product and certain initiatives are being taken by the
chocolate brand for the society in which some amount of their profits are being donated to the rural segment.
 Sales in 2012- News came in 2012 regarding Ferrero Rocher brand hires child laborers for the
production of chocolates in different countries of the world, this news has distorted the brand image of the
company and they did not urge to clarify or make a statement regarding this. This particularly tamed the sales
pattern of the company and made the sales criteria more devastating, On the contrary in 2016 when Cadbury
chocolate brand was accumulated of the infectious worm found out in the chocolates as claimed by the
consumers the brand immediately came up with the statement clarifying the doubts of the consumers and
coming up with the platform where they can answer the queries of the consumers and for the make them believe
in the product quality and commitment towards the same. The points of difference are mentioned here reflects
the two brands in terms of sales and different initiatives taken in the market and how brand ambassador play A
crucial role in development of company. the picture depicted below indicates the sale percentage of Cadbury
chocolate brand and Ferrero Rocher brand and implicates the % decline of Ferrero Rocher brand with the
coming years and the height in the Cadbury chocolate brand in comparison.

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 Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and ..
An Assessment-
The points of difference mentioned above indicates the growth of Cadbury chocolate brand as
compared to the Ferrero Rocher brand, with the hiring of brand ambassador the comparison made me realize the
importance of marketing campaigns done with favorable celebrity faces that creates an influential impact in the
minds of the consumer for purchasing your product or creating a need in the market. Cadbury chocolate brand
has beautifully enacted the need for the chocolates in the minds of the consumers of mixed population that is not
only targeting the younger population but targeting the younger adults as well to consume their chocolates and
be there permanent client. With the upcoming challenges faced by the chocolate company they innovatively
handled the challenges faced by the company and came up with the resolving statement in order to procure the
sale statement and the profitability criteria. Marketing campaigns play a crucial role in making your customers
believe in your product and manipulating the mind-set to buy the product for the consumption purpose. On the
contrary Ferrero Rocher brand has established an equally reputed image in the market without having the
celebrity face behind the promotional strategy but celebrity endorsements help in in giving your product a
suitable direction where you can endorse it with full empathy and gain more popularity in a limited set of time.

II. CONCLUSION
The in-depth analysis made between the brands the Cadbury chocolate brand and the Ferrero Rocher
brand made me analyze the importance of advertising with the help of suitable celebrity faces as the favorable
celebrities give the product a suitable design and direction where consumers attract more easily and
conveniently by looking at the celebrity face. Cadbury India has taken a strong move from getting themselves
out from the incurred losses in 2016, due to the worm issue, they hired Amitabh Bachchan as a brand
ambassador and within a few months the sales went up by 20% the sudden hike was only been seen with the
upcoming face of Amitabh Bachchan as 80% of the population believe that the celebrities that and all the
products are 100% genuine and effective and do not harm their bodies. With this believe the consumers make an
emotional attachment with the consumer and the product where they can easily procure the product from the
market. On the country the Ferrero Rocher brand has been seen as an effective brand in terms of chocolates and
premium range product which is being consumed by the urban segment population. Though, the product does
not follow any promotional strategies to promote their product in the market and do not prefer using any back-
end strategies via hiring celebrity endorsements. But the change has been seen in the past few years where
Ferrero Roche brand has been seen declining in terms of sales and profitability patterns as new companies are
emerging in the market making it more and more difficult for the existing companies to survive the market and
though the companies that do not follow a protocol of endorsing their product with suitable brand ambassadors
fail to execute their profitability strategy. For existing in the competitive market and for the survival strategy, it
is important to undergo the changing trends in the market and look for suitable promotional tactics that can be
followed in order to present your product in the market in a more effective and sustainable manner. If we talk in
simple sense, advertising a product or initiating a marketing campaign is not a big thing, but different way of
promoting your product in the market that has a maximum reach towards its customer in a more convenient and
sustainable manner, whenever a customer looks for procuring a product, they look for their advertising from
which they get information about the same. Though, advertising play the important role in making the customer
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 Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and ..
aware about the product on going in the market and the benefits accomplished for the same. Cadbury chocolate
brand has often come up with creative and innovative ideas for promoting the product with a suitable celebrity
spaces using a slogan Kucch meetha Ho Jaye, which has for the replace the need of sweets instead of chocolates.
Though, it is a simple strategy to create the need for your product and make it effective and manipulate the
minds of your consumer by having an emotional relationship with your customer, through an initiative or an
emotional message or usage of digitalized platform for promoting your product through, a celebrity face which
is known to be liked and preferred by the population. As per my perspective Cadbury chocolate brand has been
the most successful brand as compared to the Ferrero Rocher brand as they follow a brand endorsement strategy
which is not been procured by Ferrero Rocher brand and which makes it different and innovative from other
brands.

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xxxx, et. al. “Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI(Return on Investment) and Sales
on brands providing Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG).” International Journal of Business and
Management Invention (IJBMI), vol. 10(01), 2021, pp. 31-38. Journal DOI- 10.35629/8028

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