Celeb endorsements lose steam on TV; SRK and MS Dhoni dominate brand recall: TAM

Celebrity endorsements remained a significant force in Indian television advertising in 2025, even as overall celebrity-led ad volumes declined compared to the previous year, according to a new TAM AdEx report on celebrity-endorsed TV commercials.

While 73 percent of TV ads in 2025 featured non-celebrities, 27 percent included celebrity endorsers, highlighting that star power continues to play a meaningful but selective role in advertiser strategies.

Among celebrity-endorsed ads, film stars dominated with a 73 percent share of ad volumes, reinforcing Bollywood’s continued influence in shaping mass-market brand communication. Male film actors accounted for 43 percent of endorsements, followed by film actresses at 29 percent and sports personalities at 20 percent.

Celebrity Ad Volumes Fall After 2024 Uptick

After registering a 3 percent growth in 2024 versus 2023, celebrity-endorsed TV advertising saw a de-growth in 2025, reflecting a pullback in brand spending on celebrity-led campaigns.

Ad volumes peaked in the April to June quarter, driven largely by heightened activity during the IPL season, before declining in the second half of the year. The average daily ad duration dropped from 347 hours in April–June to 239 hours in October–December, signalling a front-loaded advertising cycle in 2025.

Monthly trends show March (10.7 percent share) and May (10.5 percent) recorded the highest celebrity ad volumes, while November and December saw the lowest share, at just over 6 percent.

FMCG and Hygiene Categories Lead Celebrity Advertising

The Food and Beverages sector emerged as the largest contributor, accounting for 24 percent of celebrity-endorsed TV ads, followed by Personal Care and Personal Hygiene at 16 percent and Household Products at 10 percent.

Overall, the top three sectors contributed nearly 49 percent of celebrity ad volumes, while the top seven sectors accounted for 79 percent, underscoring concentration in a limited set of high-spending categories.

At a category level, Toilet and Floor Cleaners led with a 9 percent share, followed by Toilet Soaps (5 percent), Washing Powders and Liquids (5 percent), and Aerated Soft Drinks (5 percent). The top 10 advertising categories collectively contributed 40 percent of all celebrity-endorsed ads, reflecting heavy reliance on hygiene, FMCG, and everyday consumer staples.

E-commerce and Gaming Attract the Most Celebrity Endorsers

In terms of the number of celebrities endorsing brands, E-commerce and Gaming emerged as the top category, with 41 celebrities lending their names to brands in the segment. This was followed by E-commerce Media, Entertainment, and Social Media (34 celebrities) and Building Materials and Systems (32 celebrities), signalling rising celebrity demand from digital-first and platform-driven businesses.

Shah Rukh Khan Tops Visibility, MS Dhoni Leads Brand Endorsements

Shah Rukh Khan emerged as the most visible celebrity on television advertising in 2025, commanding 10 percent share and clocking nearly 30 hours of daily ad presence across channels, making him the most dominant face in celebrity-led TV commercials.

MS Dhoni ranked second in visibility with a 7 percent share, averaging around 20 hours of daily presence, and also emerged as the celebrity endorsing the highest number of brands in 2025, expanding from 52 brand associations in 2024 to 59 in 2025.

Other celebrities increasing their brand portfolios included Shah Rukh Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, and Hrithik Roshan. Dhoni also ranked as the most visible sports celebrity of 2025, reinforcing his continued commercial relevance post-retirement.

The Top 10 most visible celebrity endorsers list featured nine male celebrities and only one female celebrity (Ananya Panday), highlighting persistent gender skew in endorsement-driven advertising.

Male Celebrities Dominate Endorsements Across Key Sectors

Across the Top 10 advertising sectors, male celebrities accounted for 67 percent of celebrity endorsements, compared to 33 percent for female celebrities.

In Food and Beverages, male celebrities dominated with a 64 percent share, while female celebrities led endorsements in Personal Care and Personal Hygiene with a 61 percent share. Notably, sectors such as Computers, Agriculture, and Media featured exclusively male celebrity endorsers, pointing to limited female representation in select categories.

Celebrity Couples Drive Half of All Couple-Endorsed Ads

The report also highlights the growing role of celebrity couples in advertising, with 50 percent of couple-endorsed ads in 2025 driven by four high-profile pairs.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt ranked as the top celebrity couple, accounting for 14 percent share and endorsing 37 brands. They were followed by Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli (13 percent share, 19 brands) and Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh (13 percent share, 28 brands).

Other notable couples included Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan (10 percent share, 38 brands), Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan (9 percent share, 44 brands), Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna, Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, and Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif.

The analysis includes both joint couple endorsements and individual ads featuring members of celebrity pairs, reflecting how brands increasingly tap relationship-based star appeal to enhance recall and emotional resonance.

Celebrity Endorsements Remain Concentrated but Selective

Overall, the report concludes that while celebrity endorsements continue to be a powerful tool for TV advertisers, brand spending is becoming more concentrated, with fewer months, fewer categories, and fewer high-impact celebrities capturing a larger share of visibility.

Film stars remain the dominant endorsement force, FMCG and hygiene brands continue to anchor celebrity-led campaigns, and IPL-led seasonal advertising peaks are shaping yearly media strategies.

At the same time, male celebrity dominance, narrowing category diversity, and front-loaded campaign planning suggest that celebrity advertising on television is becoming more selective, concentrated, and event-driven rather than sustained year-round.