April 17 2009 19:35 PST
Sorry Shahrukh Khan, you're getting old. Well at least according to PepsiCo. Pepsi which has long used the Bollywood superstar has now dropped him, in favor of a younger look. Pepsi has undergone some changes recently, aiming more for a younger audience. Pepsi has changed their famous logo and is pushing their "Youngistaan" ads.
The Coca-Cola Company has come to the aging stars aid and has picked him up to endorse their Sprite brand. Currently the company has three of Bollywoods biggest stars. Akshay Kumar endorses Thums Up, Aamir Khan endorses Coca-Cola, and now Shahrukh will be sporting Sprite. The commercial due out soon will feature Shahrukh Khan hanging out with some of the members of the "Kolkata Knight Riders" cricket team, the commercial will be seen during IPL matches.
In the past, The Coca-Cola Company had made fun of Pepsi ads that featured Shahrukh Khan so it could be seen as a bit strange for the golden boy of Bollywood to be switching sides. Shahrukh isn't the first star to be snubbed by Pepsi. Rani Mukherji and Sachin Tendulkar have also been kicked out by the brand. Pepsi has instead offered contracts to Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor.
Other brands are following in Pepsi's footsteps. Shampoo company Pantene has dropped Sushmita Sen for Katrina Kaiff. Katrina has also taken Aishwarya Rai Bachan's endorsement deal for Nakshatra Diamonds. Marketing specialist however say that youth might not be all that's involved. Stars like Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan can be expensive to endorse. Going after younger celebrities can be cheaper and if they make it big, the brand can take credit for discovering them.
But tell us what you think. Do you that Shahrukh Khan is just too old for the "Youngistaan" ads and companies just want younger faces. Or are brands going after younger celebs because they're cheaper and brands can take credit for finding them. Lets us know here at DesiHits!
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