Never underestimate the power of the spouse — even if they are professionally not as big as their other half — when it comes to brand building and glam value. Look at David Beckham, without Victoria by his side he would have just been another well-known footballer. Posh is the brains behind brand Beckham. She isn’t the best looking WAG around, nor is she is the only one to have popstar success to her credit, but Victoria is certainly the smartest of the lot and is responsible for making David a legend.
You also don’t necessarily have to star in an ad campaign or hit movie with your better half to help their career as Anand Halve, co-founder, Chlorophyll, a brand consultancy firm says, “How do you define a power couple? There is no measure. Can we say Saif has got more work because of Kareena or more money because of her? Their last film was Kurbaan but the biggest hit Kareena gave was 3 Idiots, which did not have Saif.”
Your mere presence in his life should do all the talking. Twinkle Khanna is the best example for this. She isn’t as pushy as Posh, but hubby Akshay owes his glam factor to her. By marrying her, this hero of the masses gained A-list status. Thanks to her, this Punjabi boy is now related to one of biggest Punju superstars B’wood has ever produced (Rajesh Khanna) and he is also one of the cool people of the industry. His relationships with Raveena Tandon, Pooja Batra and many others never did anything fantastic for the image.
Agreed, Kareena Kapoor is yet to have a blockbuster hit with Saif, but she does wonders to his image. For once he is dating someone truly hot. Also the fact that they aren’t married adds to their appeal according to Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consultants. “Celebrity couples add best value to each other and a brand when they are not married. This situation is also best suited to the product being advertised. But the most important thing is chemistry between the two.” Harish feels married couples don’t sparkle together in ads because promotions starring Aamir Khan and Gul Panag, and Madhavan and Vidya Balan got a better response than the adverts starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol.
Okay, the commercials might not have given people butterflies in their stomach, but you have to agree that Ajay Devgn should be thankful to wife Kajol for making him look hip. With her in his life, he can be described as someone who is tall, dark and attractive, if not handsome.
Sachin Tendulkar doesn’t need anyone to make him a bigger brand than he is, but wife Anjali adds to the persona. Anjali has that x-factor. Rahul Dravid is as big a name and his wife too is a doctor, but they just don’t generate the same levels of interest. Ditto with so many of our cricketers, their spouses are sweet girls, but that’s it.
This is not to say that without Twinkle, Posh, Anjali and Kajol, the guys wouldn’t be happening, but these girls contribute as much to their spouses’ images as the guys do to theirs. But you can’t say the same about Susanne Roshan, Kiran Rao or Gauri Khan. They are rocking only because of their hubbies, not the other way round.