Brand Saifeena also tops the endorsement rate chart with a pay cheque of Rs 6 crore to Rs 7 crore. The duo is busy with two ads — Head & Shoulders and Airtel — while their film ventures add up to three with Rensil D’Silva’s Jihaad , an Ashtavinayak film and the Race sequel.

“Saif and Kareena are the biggest brand because they are huge stars in their own right. Plus, they are constantly making news with the right amount of exposure. Also, Saif- Bebo’s real and reel life chemistry makes them a warm couple,” says Anita Nayyar, CEO of Havas Media.

In fact, Saifeena’s brand positioning has powered them to beat other B- town pairs including Ranbir Kapoor- Deepika Padukone, Ajay Devgan- Kajol, Abhishek Bachchan- Aishwarya Rai and John Abraham- Bipasha Basu.

“It’s not easy for any couple to develop as a brand. Especially in India, it’s a novel concept. You need a lot of exposure plus an excellent PR in addition to a successful movie career to become a ‘brand’,” explains ad guru Prahlad Kakkar.

Brand Ajay- Kajol has about Rs 50 crore riding on its professional projects with Rs 3.5 crore to Rs 4 crore as endorsement fee. Besides an ad deal with Whirlpool, they have just one film in hand — India’s first 3D and live action animation film, Toonpur Ka Superhero. Abhi- Ash is busy with only two films — Raavana and Rajiv Menon’s yet- untitled film — with no ad deals in hand. Almost Rs 30 crore to Rs 40 crore is riding on them.

Conversely, John- Bips is not doing any film together, but has an ad campaign for All Clear. Industry estimates suggest they pocket almost Rs 4 crore per endorsement. “Saif and Kareena have no competition from other couples because they gel with each other. While John and Bipasha have been in the public eye for a long time, Abhishek is no competition for Saif,” says Anirban Das Blah, CEO, Globosport India.

The newest couple on the block — Ranbir- Deepika — is considered to be a tough contender for the top slot. The couple is drawing a whopping Rs 4 crore to Rs 4.5 crore per ad with a high- profile Pepsi deal in pocket. “Ranbir and Deepika have potential because they are the newcomers and are popular among youth,” adds Nayyar. Though Ranbir- Deepika hasn’t signed any new project together, many companies are showing interest in signing them together.

“I did the Pepsi ad with Ranbir not just because we are real life couples but also because both of us fitted the part very well. That is how we plan to go ahead in the future too,” says Deepika, who also shared screen space with Ranbir in last year’s hit, Bachna Ae Haseeno. Well, the power of two has never been more potent.

Courtesy: Mail Today