The blockbuster success of Pushpa 2 will further cement south Indian superstar Allu Arjun's standing in the endorsement world, according to brand experts.
“Allu Arjun is unstoppable and his appeal transcends geography,” said Dr. Sandeep Goyal, chairman, Rediffusion, an advertising firm
According to him, Allu Arjun should be able to sign up half a dozen mainstream brands riding on the success of Pushpa 2. It will help him further widen his mass appeal, he said.
"The whopping success of Pushpa 2 has put him in a different realm. While Bollywood stars are ageing and their movies are having lukewarm audience response, Allu’s [Arjun] success is overwhelming," Goyal added.
Pushpa 2: A blockbuster
The actor in and as Pushpa has taken the world by storm. The sequel is inching up to Rs 400 crore after pocketing Rs 375 crore in six days only from the Hindi version. Trade pundits believe that Rs 500 crore box-collections are not a tall order in light of the movie’s stellar performance during weekdays. The movie was released on December 5.
Allu Arjun currently endorses around 10 brands. The portfolio is expected to go up significantly because of the initial euphoria over Pushpa 2, Aviral Jain, Managing Director, valuation advisory services, Kroll, told Moneycontrol.
However, he added that it is too early to gauge the extent of impact on his brand value and would depend on the lifetime business of Pushpa 2.
The first installment of the Pushpa franchise, which was released in December 2021, had led to the entry of Allu Arjun in the list of top 25 most valued Indian celebrities in 2022.
Allu Arjun's brand value stood at $31.4 million and the actor ranked 20th on the hallowed list. A year later, his rank fell to 22 with a brand value of $28.5 million.
"His energetic persona resonates strongly with younger audiences and his recent collaboration with Thums Up is a testimony to it. His pan-India appeal coupled with the potential mega success of Pushpa 2 should attract brands from automobile, FMCG [fast moving consumer goods] and emerging sectors. The Pushpa series has made him a cultural icon, and can seamlessly represent regional and national brands," Jain said.
He is reported to charge up to Rs 8 crore per endorsement in line with Bollywood A-listers.
The actor is said to have become the highest-paid brand ambassador in Asia after the Thums Up deal.
Other brands he endorses include KFC, Frooti, RedBus, Hero MotoCorp, Hotstar, Rapido, among others.
Allu Arjun’s brand value
By 2025, Allu Arjun's endorsement portfolio could expand significantly. The actor is likely to be associated with up to 25 brands, according to Chandramouli, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), TRA Research, a consumer analytics and brand insights company.
India's most valued celebrity and former cricket captain Virat Kohli endorses around 40 brands.
"Pushpa 2 has generated extraordinary buzz and is already showing strong box office performance, especially in its Hindi collections, which are significantly higher than its prequel. It is said to be a comeback moment for Indian cinema and for theatres which were suffering the consequences of a series of flops. This also cements Allu Arjun’s potential as a national icon. His brand value is likely to experience substantial growth, putting him in the league of top pan-India actors," he added.
"The success of Pushpa 2 positions him as one of the most bankable celebrities for endorsements, especially with his rising popularity in Hindi-speaking markets. His rugged yet relatable persona makes him an ideal fit for health, wellness, and sports categories, while his stylish image opens doors to luxury and premium product endorsements," Chandramouli added.
Stellar social media following
As of December 2024, Allu Arjun has established himself as a prominent figure on Instagram with 27.3 million followers and an engagement rate of 8.47 per cent which is far above the average for similar celebrities on this social media platform, according to an analysis by influencer marketing platform Qoruz.
In the last 30 Days, his “Creator Authority Score” rose to 9.34, which places him in the top 1 per cent of celebrities worldwide.
The account has seen remarkable growth with a 30-day follower gain of 3.9 million.
Creator Authority Score is a percentile-based scoring ranging from 1 to 10 and the score is distributed based on the creator's audience engagement, audience quality, engagements, among others.
Allu Arjun's posts have an estimated reach of 12.6 million, making the posts highly visible and impactful.
Qoruz data noted that the actor's content strategy focuses on quality over quantity. Despite posting less than once a month, his posts and reels generate strong engagement.
His image posts record average likes of 2.1 million, engagement rate at 7.6 percent and an average of 12,200 comments.
The Reels he posts get average views of 30.5 million, average likes of 2.7 million and have an engagement rate of 9.8 per cent.
Influencer activity around Pushpa 2 also created a massive buzz for the film.
Over 6,064 influencers posted about Pushpa 2 in the past 15-20 days, creating massive buzz on Instagram.
These posts generated a massive 16 per cent engagement rate, well above the industry average.
Collectively, these posts reached over 400 million views in India.
“Pushpa created havoc at the box office and brought a different version of Allu Arjun. The same will prevail for Pushpa 2. It will work wonders on Allu Arjun's brand value,” said Harish Bijoor, a well-known brand and business strategist.
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