Virat Kohli tops 2018's celebrity brand valuation report list
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Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone rises to the second position, whereas actor Shah Rukh Khan falls to the fifth position.
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has retained the top position for the celebrity brand valuation as per the rankings released by *Duff & Phelps (D&P). In 2018, Virat's brand value rose by 18 per cent to US$ 170.9 million. He endorsed 24 brands as of November.
The report provides a ranking of India’s most powerful celebrity brands based on brand values derived from their endorsement contracts.
Virat is followed by Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone, whose valuation is US$ 102.5 million. She endorsed 21 brands as of November 2018.
Virat and Deepika are the only celebrities with a valuation of over US$ 100 million.
The top ten list also features Akshay Kumar (US$ 67.3), Ranveer Singh (US$ 63.0), Shah Rukh Khan (US$ 60.7), Salman Khan (US$ 55.8), Amitabh Bachchan (US$ 41.2), Alia Bhatt (US$ 36.5), Varun Dhawan (US$ 31.6) and Hrithik Roshan (US$ 31.0).
Apart from the individual brand value, the report noted the rising trend of power couples, as brands can target each partner's unique following and voice by tapping into a power couple's reach and impact.
A power couple is a relationship consisting of two individuals who are both successful and influential.
With many star couples tying the knot recently, advertising agencies are trying to pull out all the stops to get the couples to share screen space. In a country where people are star struck by film stars and sportsmen, Bollywood couples have been a big hit in the advertising space.
During the wedding of the power couples, the number of social media mentions have spiked with #DeepVeer having 0.56 million mentions and #Virushka having 0.72 million mentions in the last year.
"The coming together of a power couple creates a larger platform that brands want to leverage to target the youth. This year, power couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have endorsed around 40 brands together such as Head and Shoulders, Manyavar, Pepsi, Celkon, Boost, Audi, Fastrack, Goinee, Wrogn and Polaroid," it said.
*Duff & Phelps is a US-based global advisor that protects, restores and maximizes value for clients in the areas of valuation, corporate finance, investigations, disputes, cybersecurity, compliance and regulatory matters, and other governance-related issues.