What makes Khali a great brand ambassador?

Professional weighlifter Khali endorses a range of brands including Licious, KFC, Swiggy and Cadbury Fuse.

The great Khali has made a name for himself as a professional WWE wrestler. In recent times, he has gone beyond that role to act as an ambassador for multiple brands. This includes the likes of Licious, Cadbury Fuse, KFC, Swiggy Instamart, and more. But what makes Khali such a valuable endorser across these different categories?

Khali, whose real name is Dalip Singh Rana, weighs close to 157 kilograms and is close to 7.08 feet tall. Priti Nair, director, Curry Nation says that Khali is very different as a brand ambassador as he is a combination of an underlying fun personality and a tough exterior.

She adds that these days, brands don't necessarily have the time to build a name for themselves - in which case it makes sense to piggyback off an endorser who is likeable, well-known and has a strong personality.

"He has width when it comes to his endorsements - right from food delivery brands to smartphone brands," she points out. Nair adds that if many brands would use him as an endorser, then he would become a blind spot but the different brands that have used him as an endorser have played on his strengths differently.

The fact that he is larger than life is a factor that creates an instant connect with anyone who views his ads. It helps with creating cut through and he creates a reference point for the ads.

"He has tremendous brand recall and he stands out as a brand ambassador. In every one of the commercials he has starred in, it has an underlying fun element which relates to his personality," she explains.

She adds that these days, brands don't necessarily have the time to build a name for themselves - in which case it makes sense to piggyback off an endorser who is likeable, well-known and has a strong personality.

"He has width when it comes to his endorsements - right from food delivery brands to smartphone brands," she points out. Nair adds that if many brands would use him as an endorser, then he would become a blind spot but the different brands that have used him as an endorser have played on his strengths differently.

"I quite like him as a brand ambassador. He appeals to a wide section of the audience. Right now, brands don't have a lot of time to build upon themselves - they need quick recall. He ticks all those boxes because he is so well known as an endorser," she explains.

She adds that Khali always has a fun element associated with him and this adds to his appeal as a brand ambassador. Many of the respondents that afaqs! reached out to came to a common census - it didn’t matter that Khali was a WWE star at one point, he is still widely recognised as a brand endorser.

Arun Iyer, founder of Spring Marketing Capital also mentions that he did not follow Khali when he was a WWE wrestler and points out that his appeal as a brand endorser goes beyond that.

"The first brand to properly use Khali as an endorser was Ambuja Cements so kudos to them for that. They leveraged his persona effectively in the ad," Iyer points out.

Iyer adds that when it comes to using Khali as a brand ambassador - the humour quotient is what makes him stand out. "Most of the time his size is being used in a humourous context, not an aspirational one. This humour quotient is what makes him a memorable brand ambassador," he says.

"Even before he starred in the Ambuja ad, he was always a very likeable celebrity. Ambuja hit the nail on the head with its ad campaign - playing upon his biggest strengths and portraying him as a likeable brand ambassador," says Nair.

He is a likeable brand ambassador - "He appeals to young people not because of his strength and power, but only because of his likeable personality," she explains.

Any category could benefit from using Khali as an endorser - it all comes down to the creative director's ability at the end of the day. Iyer and Nair both agree that it doesn't matter what category Khali is endorsing - as long as he lends his name to the brand in question.

His equity as a brand ambassador is huge because at the core of it - he is an endorser who appeals to different sections of society. He appeals to a young TG who likes viewing tongue-in-cheek communications. He appeals to everybody but he specifically appeals to the TG which is 18-25 years old.

Anchit Chauhan - AVP, strategy, Wunderman Thompson mentions that Khali as an endorser is mainly used by brands as the humour element of a story. “Maybe the way he speaks is used as a limitation. If you look at the content that he tries to put out, even if its lip synced, it's not always in sync. There’s a humour element attached to it”

He’s known for his height and his build. “One thing is he is known for his physical build and his appearance and the other thing is when he endorses a brand, he is known for the humour element that he brings to the endorsement,” he says.

He adds that nobody is using him for his strength, nobody is trying to equate a product to his strength. “You have to keep in mind that Khali is huge. Nobody wants to be that big. We will have people who want to be fit and agile but not necessarily as big as he is,” explains Chauhan. He adds that his appeal cuts across categories and that he is very noticeable as an endorser, bringing visibility to the brands he endorses.