Tamannaah Bhatia’s ₹6.20 crore deal with Mysore Sandal Soap faces massive backlash
Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), the manufacturer holds cultural importance in Karnataka.
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Actor Tamannaah Bhatia has been announced the brand ambassador by the Karnataka government for Mysore Sandal Soap, backed with a whopping ₹6.20 crore deal for two years. However, the decision faced backlash over why a Kannada actor was not selected for the deal. MB Patil, Minister for Commerce & Industries, Infrastructure GoK, backed the decision with a statement.
On Thursday, a notification was posted by the Karnataka state government which have gone viral online. It stated that she will be paid ₹6.20 crore for 2 years, as verified by Money Control.
Mysore Sandal Soap has been in production since 1916 after King of Mysore, Krishna Raja Wadiyar IV established a government-run soap factory in Bengaluru circa early 1900s.
Internet goes berserk over the choice of actor
A fan wrote, “Many Kannada actress itself were there why pay for an outsider,” another added, “why not our own Rukmini vasanth?” Someone asked, “Why not Pranita? ,her homely looks and Native kannada speaker & also well known face in telugu states & TN along with Karanataka.” Another asked, “we had many kannada actress. should have given them the opportunity to present home brand @iamRashmika @SrinidhiShetty7.”
Replying to why Kannada actor like Ashika Ranganathan was not chosen, MB Patil wrote, “KSDL has deepest respects and regards for Kannada Film Industry. Some Kannada Movies are giving competition to even Bollywood movies. Mysore sandal has a very good brand recall within Karnataka. Which shall be strengthened.”
He added, “However the intent of Mysore Sandal is to also penetrate markets beyond Karnataka Aggressively. The pride of Karnataka is also a Jewel of the Nation. Hence it’s an independent strategic decision of the PSU board after consulting various marketing experts.”
He justified, “To choose a brand ambassador it takes a lot of deliberation and also considerations like 1) Availability for any given category(If they have a non compete agreement) 2)Social media presence 3)Most importantly coherence with the brand, product and Target Audience 4)Marketing fit and Reach. Our Vision is for KSDL to touch 5000Cr Annual Revenue by 2028.”
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