Track2Realty Exclusive: Amrapali Group has signed on Mahendra Singh Dhoni as their brand ambassador and the company is banking high on cricket ever since the Indian team won the World Cup under Dhoni by gifting the flats after the title.
Dr Anil Sharma, CMD, Amrapali defends the brand ambassadors role in driving both sales and brand. He, however, does not believe brand ambassadors alone can drive the brand if the product fails to match the expectations created by the developer.
“You must know the product and users. In realty market, buyers are the key in success of any project and hence innovation works around them. It depends upon market segment as buyers’ interest varies and developers try to encash it. Brand Ambassador is a major key who plays a role of bridge between buyer and developers and also delivers the company message. Thereafter, all world class facilities and basic amenities with the commitment of providing at affordable cost create faith on developer and of course cater demand faster,” says Sharma.
Jackbastian K Nazareth, Group CEO of Purvankara Projects, however, has his apprehensions. He maintains that celebrity endorsement is yet another clutter-breaking route to visibility and credibility. The caveat with this tactic is that it generates eyeballs, but runs the risk that ‘celebrity-power’ could overshadow brand-saliency.
“Perhaps socially responsible community engagement initiatives are a more enduring way to establish local affinity. Maintenance of local roads, parks and fire-stations, sponsorship of local arts, sports and environmental programs are evocative and effective conduits to brand-building,” says Nazareth.
Some advertising professionals are of the opinion that communication of a real estate must move more towards a two-way channel with the brand ambassadors. There are many modes of feedback which is important for the brand ambassador to study the product before advertising it.
The difference between paid advertisement and a news report is almost gone. Hence, credibility issues are of prime importance. The Ministry of Consumer Affairs is looking into these issues to sort out the legal bindings of a brand ambassador and also fraudulent advertising. Seminars and talks are also being held in this regard.
For example, last year film star Genelia D’Souza Deshmukh was summoned by the Andhra Pradesh High Court in a cheating case involving a real estate firm. There had been extensive debate whether it is right to blame the brand ambassador for a fraudulent product.
In Indian property no one can define the role of a brand ambassador in terms of marketing a product. The relevance of this is more for real estate industry as the ambassador would be advertising the product without actually buying it.
…to be continued
