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
  • XPRESS

  • Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
  • Shah Rukh Khan
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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.

Comments (2)

  1. Added 13:47 March 18, 2010

    Excuse me, why should Aamir Khan be paid “at least double the amount”? Can Jagdeep Kapoor justify his statement? As it is he has been overpaid for mouthing a 30-second statement. Personally, I do not buy a product just because a movie star is advertising it. Why should I buy a product endorsed by a movie star when I know he is not using it? What does he know of eitsalat? Is Aamir Khan a UAE resident and will he use etisalat services? No. I live in Dubai and am using the services – landline and mobile -- and have subscribed to pehla through etisalat. Moreover, etisalat does not need Aamir Khan or anybody to endorse its products.

    Preeti, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

  2. Added 13:43 March 18, 2010

    Etisalat will have to earn back much more than they are paying Aamir Khan, and with competition already tough in India’s telecom sector, it will not be a walk in the park for etisalat.

    Bilal Hameed, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

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