Live pictures of an ailing Amitabh Bachchan outside a Mumbai hospital, sporting a monkey cap and a shawl, last week have sent shivers down the spines of advertisement and public relations professionals.
The reason for this is not difficult to fathom as the Bollywood superstar is the most effective celebrity in contemporary advertisement in the country, according to a report.
Bachchan tops in both mind recall and total unaided recall as a celebrity, the study on 'Effectiveness of Celebrities in Advertisements' by Cybermedia Research showed.
In fact, his effectiveness as a celebrity in commercials is nearly three-and-a-half times more than the second most recalled celebrity: Sachin Tendulkar.
About 44 per cent of the consumers recall Bachchan compared to 13 per cent in Tendulkar's case.
Among the top ten celebrities in the country, Bachchan has one of the highest (92 per cent) correct brand associations as compared to the world tally of 65 per cent, the study added.
Bachchan's high appeal cuts across gender, age and socio-economic groups.
The study was conducted majorly among youth and housewives for the second year in a row in the month of September-October.
