Amitabh Bachchan, going by your report (‘The Rs 700-cr brand’, October 5), is a brand worth Rs 700 crore — that’s the kind of contracts he’s got on hand from the 19 brands he endorses. And yet, as you report (‘Big B fails to boost Bigg Boss inaugural ratings’, October 6), the Big Brand failed to take up the TRPs of the new show he’s hosting. It is time companies moved beyond tired old marketing mantras of getting the big names and hoping that this will make up for the magic the brand/product lacks. Marketers should learn from brands like Amul or Vodafone where there are no stars, except for the product itself. Taking a cue from the movie industry, a series of low-budget movies have done well while those with big stars have flopped — eventually it all depends upon the story line.
Santosh Taneja, Mumbai
