How star power drove causes in 2017

What's the top brand category in celebrity endorsements? In 2017, the answer could be any variation of 'awareness', 'social cause' or 'government campaign'. The trickle of celebrity advocates of the past few years truly turned into a flood in 2016-17, growing only stronger this year. The Prime Minister’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan welcomed many more celebs into its star-studded roster, adding names like Anushka Sharma, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra and Rajinikanth, while its leading man Amitabh Bachchan continues to star in frequent campaigns.Bachchan has turned out to be one of the busiest celebrity endorsers this year - from calming the common man’s distrust of the newly-introduced GST and calling on the nation to defeat tuberculosis to shaming those who still choose the neighbourhood field over their toilets, Big B continues to play his big brotherly role. Akshay Kumar too had a breakout year, even if being named UP and Uttarakhand's Swachh Bharat ambassador after 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' was a no-brainer. The actor, quite the spokesperson for our men and women in uniform, was also the obvious choice to launch the Home Ministry's Bharat Ke Veer website. His impromptu and impassioned plea at India Rising, an investors’ summit in September, got corporate honchos to pledge Rs6.5 crore then and there.
From government campaigns and the armed forces’ welfare to state tourism and UN programmes, here are the top celebrity endorsers of ‘awareness’ in 2017.
PRIYANKA CHOPRA
Priyanka Chopra listens to Syrian refugee students during her visit to their school in Za'atari refugee camp, Jordan, in September (Photo: UNICEF/ Rich)
UNICEF
Priyanka Chopra, who served as UNICEF's National Goodwill Ambassador for a decade, was named a Global Goodwill Ambassador last December, following a thriving Hollywood career and global social media following. In May, the actress visited South Africa and neighbouring Zimbabwe to help raise awareness about violence against children. This September, she visited a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan to meet children and families affected by the civil war. Last week, Priyanka met adolescent child-rights advocates and government officials in Delhi to discuss issues including education and child marriage. During the visit, she told us that her dream for India’s children was to give them "the right to be whoever they want to be". She also said that despite the innumerable issues, she remained hopeful as she had seen change happen during her work for UNICEF.
Priyanka Chopra in the Awesome Assam ad
Assam
After playing Manipuri Olympic champion 'Mary Kom' in her biopic, PC was named Assam's brand ambassador in December 2016 with the aim of leveraging her global fame with international tourists. At the time, she had said that her campaign wouldn't focus just on tourism but also on a "better connect between the people of Assam and the mainland". But apart from the visually compelling 'Awesome Assam' ad in October, which got a big thumbs-up on Twitter and was called "stunning" by travel magazines, the state hasn’t got much screen time with the actress. The question of how much Priyanka was being paid for her duties was raised in the Assam Assembly, while criticism came from some quarters for her silence on Assam's flood victims.
AKSHAY KUMAR
Akshay Kumar (Photo: Getty Images)
Akshay Kumar and Rajnath Singh at the launch of the Bharat Ke Veer website in April
Bharat Ke Veer
After several ministers including Rajnath Singh and Kiren Rijiju donated a month's salary to a fund for martyrs' kin, the Home Ministry launched the Bharat Ke Veer website along with Akshay Kumar in April. The portal facilitates those who want to donate money to families of slain soldiers and officers belonging to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
The association with Khiladi Kumar - who has donned the uniform often on screen and never shies away from talking about "the real heroes" - seems to have paid off. After being actively pushed on social media, the portal received an average of Rs8 lakh in donations per day, according to reports, and on Independence Day, they shot up to Rs50 lakh. Between August 14 and August 16, the contributions totalled Rs1.6 crore. By November, the website had collected Rs26 crore in donations.
DIA MIRZA
Dia Mirza
Wildlife Trust of India, UNEP
Dia Mirza, who has long been an advocate for nature conservation and animal rights, was appointed the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)’s ambassador in June, after being the face of several WTI campaigns. On World Elephant Day, she participated in the Gaj Yatra, a road show for elephant protection, in Delhi, along with Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan. In November, she was also announced the ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), where she will focus on global environmental issues and climate change.
ANUSHKA SHARMA
Anushka Sharma cleans Versova Beach
Swachh Bharat
The PMO invited Anushka Sharma to join the Swachh Bharat campaign in September and the actress said she was "honoured" to accept. A few days later, she participated in a cleaning drive on Versova Beach with her family and friends. She also starred in an ad for the Darwaza Band campaign earlier this year.
MS DHONI
MS Dhoni in the ad for Momentum Jharkhand and (R) MSD at the Jharkhand Global Investors Summit in February
Jharkhand
When Captain Cool says he is a true son of the soil, who wouldn't believe him? Appointed Jharkhand's ambassador last November, MS Dhoni won everyone over when he said he was made of "Hindustan ki mitti, which has the fragrance of Jharkhand", in an ad for Momentum Jharkhand in January. And while attending the investors' summit in Feb, he exhorted businesses to invest in the state by using leadership parallels from his cricket career. No wonder CM Raghubar Das thinks he is the "aan, baan, shaan of Jharkhand".
AMITABH BACHCHAN



Swachh Bharat, TB, GST
The favourite face to sell a social message, the ‘Big B’ could very well stand for 'Big Brand'. In the past, Amitabh Bachchan has been the ambassador for polio and Hepatitis B eradication, family planning, eye donation, and most famously, Gujarat. 2017 saw Bachchan be the lead star of the Prime Minister’s multi-starrer Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan, where he led several campaigns like 'Mard' and 'Darwaza Band'. His 'friendly neighbourhood advice-giver' personage was also engaged to educate people about the much-distrusted GST, and is the face of India's fight against tuberculosis. After all, whether it’s a new tax system or how exactly to take your TB medication, who else would you trust? Computer ji, lock kiya jaye?
JOHN ABRAHAM
John Abraham arrives to attend the Tawang festival last October
Arunachal Pradesh
As the co-owner of the NorthEast United Football Club, John Abraham has actively spoken about bringing the northeast into the country's mainstream. His love for football and support for the NE led to his appointment as Arunachal Pradesh’s brand ambassador in September 2016, after which John had promised to shoot a film in the state. True to his word, portions of his upcoming Parmanu were shot there this year. He also attended the Tawang Festival last October and the Arunachal Tourism Awards in February, and met Army officers and soldiers serving there in September.
John Abraham meets Indian Army officers and jawans posted in Arunachal Pradesh in September