IAA Leadership Awards 2023: Kiara Advani on authenticity, not sticking to a type, responsibility towards fans on social media

Kiara Advani, who bagged the endorser of the year during the IAA Leadership Awards 2023 on 9 August, spoke about the importance of being authentic when it comes to choosing brands to associate with.

 

“When I started, it felt like endorsements were a perk of the job as an actor. When it came to brands wanting to associate with me, I lent my name to those I was personally consuming or the ones I believed in. I looked for similar, shared values in the brands. As I went along, I realised that on social media millions of people follow, trust and respect you. With that comes a sense of responsibility and you don’t want to let them down. It’s your responsibility to stay authentic and that’s what I think I am,” said Advani.

 

She added that while it’s important for brands to see what an actor brings to the table, it’s also important for the endorser to see what the brand brings.

 

“I’m quite real when it comes to whatever I do. When I pick films, whether they are good or bad I wholeheartedly stand by them. Similarly, with brands apart from the fact that I’m a consumer of these products, there’s a reason they are coming to you as an actor. They have done their homework. It’s important to see what you bring to the table, what they bring to the table for you and how we complement each other. I have been fortunate to have long-term associations with these brands. That means something and I think it’s interesting to grow with the brand,” she said.

 

Advani was in conversation with Neeraj Roy, managing director, Hungama Digital Media Entertainment.

 

Roy then congratulated the actor on her marriage to co-actor Sidharth Malhotra and asked her if the duo have worked together for any brand.

 

“We are very clear about what we want to do together as a brand. Before we were married there were two brands that we signed on individually. We were not a husband-wife kind of pairing for the brand. Now, people will probably come to us as a couple. We have thought about that and for both of us, the family values and the legacy of the brand will be very important,” she said before adding that they have had offers to work together but have turned them down.

 

“We have said no to a few brands and our managers hate us for it. We feel that the audience has given us a lot of love as a couple. There’s a sense of both of us being self-made individuals who made it here on our own. I think they will also be looking forward to what we do when we decide to lend our name to a brand. We’ve put in a lot of thought for this,” she added.

 

Roy then spoke about how the IAA is trying to raise awareness about gender sensitivity in advertising and asked Advani whether she’s seeing parity in salaries and roles.

 

“This is a large debate we can have. If I strictly stay with the ad world, it’s changing there. Speaking for myself, it’s important to value yourself. I will not compare myself to what my male or female counterparts are bringing in. If I feel I’m worth something, then I would like to associate myself with people who see this worth. I’m happy with this method and I’ll stick with it. It’s important to see how you’re growing and that’s how I look at it,” said the actor.

 

The talk ended with Advani urging actors to not stick to an image which portrays one to have a ‘type’.

 

“I was told by someone once that the quality they saw in me was being relatable and aspirational. That’s what I see my brands tapping into too. You don’t have to be just one type. You don’t need to be the girl next door. You can be the dependable one, the family person, the one empowering women, or the strong independent woman. You can be them all, and that’s who I think I am,” she said.