• 28 Mar, 2025

How Bollywood Helped Pave the Way for Hollywood’s Celebrity Marketing (Not the other way around.)

For ages, people have casually remarked that Bollywood “copies” Hollywood, be it in storytelling, style, or even marketing tactics. Yet, when it comes to celebrity endorsements, there’s a compelling case that Bollywood was doing it on a larger scale, and long before Hollywood fully embraced it. Did Hollywood pick up a few lessons along the way (knowingly or not)? You be the judge!

Bollywood’s Early Take on Celebrity Endorsements

In India, films are more than entertainment, they’re woven into the cultural fabric. Movie stars in Bollywood quickly become household names, beloved like close friends or family members. Their influence runs deep, which makes them perfect brand ambassadors.

A Pioneering Moment:

Legend has it that actress Leela Chitnis became the first Bollywood star to endorse a major product (Lux soap) as early as the 1940s. This marked the beginning of a decades-long partnership between Indian celebrities and big-name brands, from cosmetics and beverages to automobiles and telecom services.

Total Cultural Buy-In:

By the 1990s and early 2000s, top actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, and Amitabh Bachchan were everywhere, on billboards, in TV commercials, and in print ads. Their star power was so immense that if a Bollywood icon fronted a campaign, the product almost sold itself.

Hollywood’s Parallel Path, and Gradual Shift

Hollywood certainly never lacked celebrity star power. Icons like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn fronted various campaigns, and big studios had their own marketing juggernauts. Yet for a long time, many Hollywood actors viewed brand endorsements, particularly in the U.S. market, as optional or even risky for their “serious actor” image. Some chose to do ads internationally (especially in Asia) instead, where it wouldn’t be as visible to American audiences.

A Cultural Difference:

In the West, being a Hollywood “artist” sometimes meant keeping commercial deals at arm’s length. Meanwhile, Bollywood embraced these deals wholeheartedly, capitalizing on the strong bond between fans and stars.

An Inevitable Convergence:

Over time, Hollywood’s perspective evolved. As global marketing campaigns and lucrative endorsement deals expanded, the distinction between “serious actor” and “brand ambassador” softened. Whether or not Hollywood explicitly looked at Bollywood and said, “Let’s follow their lead,” it’s safe to say that by the early 2000s, American A-listers were appearing in high-profile ads more than ever. Think George Clooney for Nespresso or Brad Pitt for Chanel, both moves that signaled how endorsements had become mainstream, even in Tinseltown.

Enter the Era of Influencer Marketing

Social media took everything to a new level, opening up advertising not just to film stars, but to everyday content creators. Here too, Bollywood actors jumped in quickly, leveraging massive online followings to promote everything from tech gadgets to travel destinations.

Bollywood’s Fan Engagement:

Stars like Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh regularly share brand partnerships on social media, reaching millions of fans directly.

Hollywood’s Social Power:

Meanwhile, Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds have turned their social platforms into virtual marketing machines, championing everything from tequila brands to streaming services.

It’s less about who was “first” at this point, and more about a global realization: fans want authentic connections, and both Bollywood and Hollywood are capitalizing on it.

Final Thoughts

Does Hollywood owe a debt to Bollywood for spotlighting the power of celebrity endorsements? Perhaps not overtly, but there’s no denying that Bollywood’s deep-rooted culture of star promotions paved the way for today’s massive global endorsement scene. While Hollywood had its own parallel path, many of its leading names only dove into advertising full throttle over the last few decades, well after Bollywood celebrities had been fronting everything from toothpaste to telecommunications.

Still, it’s not a simple story of one side “copying” the other. In truth, both industries have learned from broader shifts in marketing strategies and from each other’s hits and misses. One thing’s for sure: star power sells everywhere. And as new platforms like BookYourCreator shake things up, we’re likely to see even more inventive ways for celebrities, and everyday creators, to capture our attention.

Ultimately, whether you’re Team Bollywood, Team Hollywood, or just a fan of great advertising, it’s fun to watch how each industry brings its own style to the global marketing table. Let’s just say that when it comes to celebrity endorsements, Bollywood’s trailblazing spirit definitely deserves a shout-out. And Hollywood? Well, it’s clearly taken note, whether by design or by happy coincidence.