Prasad Sangameshwaran
This week, singer Shankar Mahadevan won the Grammy! For this huge achievement, the singer was obviously inundated with congratulatory messages from all over the world, and in all forms – whatsapp, social media, phone calls, to name just three options.
For a moment as rare and grand as this, being one of the few celebrity acquaintances of mine, I also decided to send a congratulatory message – without expecting a reply, of course! When the reply came in less than 48 hours, I was swept off my feet. Cos, it wasn’t a copy paste ‘Thank You’ effort, but a personalised response.
A few weeks before that, TV actor Manasi Salvi, who plays Dr Isha Bhosale, in Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin, celebrated her birthday. (Clarification: I’m not showing off my celebrity connections.) I couldn’t help but ask her how she managed to keep responding to the innumerable messages that flood her inbox (practically in real-time). Her response was one of expressing gratitude for people who take time out to write a wish or a blessing. “You never know which of those wishes might come true,” she told me.
These are only two cases of celebrities genuinely engaging with people. And this is not restricted to people like us from big cities or people in relative positions of influence.
A couple of months back, when I spent a little more time with Mahadevan in a tiny village in Tamil Nadu I noticed that he agreed to pose for pictures with the man on the street from the humble roadside toy seller to awestruck villagers who were overjoyed by his presence. Or another unforgettable moment when he was mobbed by fans, and spotted a 70-year-old lady struggling to take his picture. Mahadevan called the lady over and even helped her take a selfie – there are some things that money can’t buy.
One could well argue that these aren’t the top-most stars of Bollywood who face more difficult times at the hands of fans. But one cannot decline the fact that these are stars who are at the top of their game – at the recording studio or on the small screen.
What makes this worth a mention in this column?
Fan engagement leads to affinity, which in turn leads to a positive word of mouth and organic media. Replace celebrities with brands, and one might see an almost similar outcome. Certainly, it doesn’t take a genius to figure that out. Still, why do we see few examples in the world of brands?
(The author is the editor of ETBrandEquity.com. This weekly column offers a sneak peek into the discussions, debates and introspection in our editorial team.)
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