Shahrukh Khan emerged as the most recalled celebrity endorser during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup final, according to a recent study by the Indian Institute of Human Brands (IIHB). The survey, conducted the day after India’s victory over South Africa revealed that Khan’s presence in advertisements for brands such as Castrol, Everest Masalas, Denver and Vimal Pan Masala resonated strongly with viewers.

Shahrukh Khan Tops Brand Recall At World Cup Finale: Report

The IIHB’s telephone survey reached 478 respondents across India, aged 18-40, with a nearly even split between male and female participants.  Khan topped the list of recalled celebrity endorsers at 82 per cent, followed by cricketer Virat Kohli at 61 per cent, actor Ajay Devgn at 52 per cent, MS Dhoni at 49 per cent, Sachin Tendulkar at 32 per cent, Tiger Shroff at 23 per cent, Alia Bhatt at 19 per cent, Ranveer Singh and Rahul Dravid at 14 per cent, Hrithik Roshan at 13 per cent and Amitabh Bachchan and Rohit Sharma at 12 per cent. 

“Advertising weight does matter. Shahrukh Khan easily had the highest amount of second age amongst all celebrity endorsers on the World Cup telecast between the 4-5 brands that featured him. He dominated the ad breaks and was without doubt the most visible endorser on the finale”, said Carol Goyal, Executive Director of IIHB, under whose care the survey was conducted. 

The study also highlighted an interesting trend in brand recall. The most remembered advertisement was for Birla Opus paints, which did not feature any celebrity endorser. Similarly, the second most recalled brand, Parle, also lacked a famous face in its commercials. However, Khan’s advertisements for Vimal and Everest still managed to secure spots in the top five for ad recall.

“The most important takeaway from this research is that King Khan is back – in fact back with a bang. Till not very far back it was Ranveer Singh and Virat Kohli that dominated the top slots as brand ambassadors. Shahrukh was not even in the reckoning, and most marketers had declared him a fading star. But he now seems a hot favourite with brands that have big budgets for a World Cup final,” adds Dr Sandeep Goyal, Chief Mentor of IIHB. 

The study also noted a ‘halo effect’ for Kohli, whose on-field performance during the final seemed to boost his ad recall despite having fewer commercial appearances compared to Khan.