Business | Telecoms
Etisalat-Du clash: Stars ring in the cash
Telecom war between rivals Etisalat and Du has come as a windfall for two of Bollywood's biggest stars
- By Mazhar farooqui, Leisure Editor, XPRESS
- Published: 00:00 March 18, 2010
Dubai: The telecom war between rivals etisalat and du has come as a windfall for two of Bollywood's biggest stars - Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan.
Brand ambassador
Last year du paid Shah Rukh an undisclosed sum of money to be their ‘Elite' brand ambassador. Not to be outdone, rival etisalat has now roped in Aamir Khan for a three-year-contract, reportedly paying him a whopping Dh28.5 million, the highest ever for an Indian celebrity.
Aamir will be promoting the UAE telecom giant in India when it launches its mobile services there.
Aamir's endorsement has left advertising gurus in India divided. While Jagdeep Kapoor, CMD, Samsika Marketing Consultants, reckons the actor should have been paid "at least double the amount", Colvyn Harris, CEO, J Walter Thompson (JWT), believes he was overpaid.
Stoic silence
The mega endorsements may have got people talking, but the telecom service providers maintain a stoic silence over how much it cost them to sign the two superstars.
Saugat Chatterjee, du's PR Manager, Commercial, said he'd be unable to comment because of the "sensitivities involved" while Eyad Al Zoubi, SM International Media Relations-etisalat said he is awaiting feedback about the deal from company representatives in India.
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