New Delhi, Jan 20 (IANS) When actor Saif Ali Khan and cricketers Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Robin Uthappa in a TV advertisement gathered a crowd for a rock concert, beverage major Pernod Ricard India Ltd laughed its way to the bank.

Royal Stag, the brand of whisky that the actor and the cricketers were promoting in the racy ad, generated 'overwhelming customer recall'.

'The positives of stardom rubbed off on the brand and we succeeded in achieving more than the set targets,' Bikram Basu, vice president, Pernod Ricard India Ltd, owner of Royal Stag, told IANS.

Customer recall, says a study, is higher in products whose ads feature celebrities, especially those from sports and showbiz.

'Bollywood and cricket are religion in our country. Like in foreign countries, Hollywood and football star pairing proves a huge hit here. In India, film and sports stars are increasingly becoming a big hit,' Ajay Chandwani, CEO of advertising company Percept H, told IANS.

'Moreover, they are youth icons and youngsters relate to them instantly. And when a brand has to woo youth, what could be a better choice of brand ambassador than them?' added Chandwani.

Advertisements featuring celebrities that have the highest recall include Pepsi and rival Coke, though fast-moving consumer goods and automobiles are also now vying for the top customer recall slot because of the stars they have roped in to promote their products.

The trend of film and sports celebrities endorsing brands picked up after Shah Rukh Khan and master blaster Sachin Tendulkar endorsed Pepsi and Airtel.

Apart from pushing up sales, the initiative also offered a visual treat to viewers. These ads take up a substantial chunk of prime time television viewing - and their TRPs are almost as high as popular soaps.

Currently, King Khan and Indian cricket team captain Dhoni are giving a heady rush of adrenaline to audiences by reversing their real life roles of a superstar and sports sensation on-screen in the latest Videocon ad.

Also, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's ditty for Visa ad makes an instant recall because it can be hummed throughout the day.

'The wedlock of Bollywood and cricket gives instant publicity to the brand as gossips related to stars make the brand the talk of the town,' said Sumit Seth, assistant manager Sahara Corporate Communications.

Apart from being a wonderful marketing strategy, sportspersons feel that the initiative gives them an opportunity to showcase their other talents.

'It is no doubt a great marketing strategy. Cricket remains a cricketer's first love but if someone has another talent and the time to pursue it, why not do it?' asked Indian cricket team member S. Sreesanth.

'Watching Bollywood and sports celebrities at the same time in an ad is no less than a treat for cinema and sports buffs and this trend has a good future,' said film critic Taran Adarsh.

Slamming the critics who talk about the morality factor when it comes to endorsements, actor Vinay Pathak said: 'It is purely a business strategy and there is nothing moralistic about it.

'If the client wants to sell his product and SRK and Dhoni can increase its sales 25 times and he doesn't mind paying them money, why shouldn't they do it?'

However, Shagufta, a student, sounded sceptical. 'Hoardings on the road, advertisements in cinema halls, magazines...they are everywhere. Frankly, I think there is an overdose of it now. Sometimes we even tend to forget their fields of work.'