Celebrity brands: The Big B of social media...

As the Shahenshah continues to capture millions of hearts, we trace the Amitabh Bachchan social media strategy - that makes him the Big B of the digital world too.

This segment of Celebrity brands attempts to decode the social media presence of a man who needs no introduction. Amitabh Bachchan embraced social media & blogging almost two decades ago, having a mass appeal across ages. An actor, producer, singer, voice artist, host, and a family man, as deep are the shades of his life, so is his social media strategy. 

Being one of the early adopters of social media & blogging, he maintains his social presence like a journal presenting anecdotes, nostalgia, & opinions, laden with emotions for his audience whom he refers to as 'Ef or Extended family'.

Apart from endorsing pertinent issues such as Pulse Polio, AIDs, Girl child education, Climate change, Animal rights, and now COVID-19 safety, the UN Goodwill Ambassador since 2005, has been involved with several brands associations. Further, Sr. Bachchan stopped endorsing aerated drinks, establishing himself as a responsible influencer, albeit, not without controversies. 

As per reports, the mass appeal, responsibility, stint with KBC, emanates trustworthiness & makes him one of the most favored choices for brands even today. The actor has also been a savior for some brands in times of crisis, helping regain consumer trust.

But what works for the continued popularity of Big B through social media that resonates through brands & audiences alike? A look at Amitabh Bachchan social media strategy with the help of Qoruz data.

Amitabh Bachchan Social Media Strategy - Overview

Sr. Bachchan started blogging in April 2008 with Tumblr, & joined Twitter in 2010, way ahead of other stars. 

Also, known as the ‘Angry young man’, Big B presents his informal & quirky side through his social media communications.

What makes the living legend relatable across the masses? Various experts such as N Chandramouli, CEO, Brand intelligence, and data insights TRA, believes that Big B remains evergreen due to his penchant to reinvent himself continuously.

As per Qoruz, prominent themes observed across the actor’s social media communication in the last few weeks are #AmitabhBachchanExtendedFamily, #GiboSiboonPrime, #JantaCurfew, India fights COVID-19, Swatch Bharat, amongst others.

From sharing endearing moments to expressing his philosophies through poetry & prose, to being nostalgic & replying to his fans, Big B leverages social media for almost all facets of life. The actor maintains his social media pages like a journal by allocating index to keep a track of each passing day with the prefix of T & FB with the number of the tweet/post, respectively for Twitter & Facebook.

The actor also presents his religious side on social media not without a touch of secularism. One of his recent posts garnered positive remarks from the audience.

The year 2020 commenced with a wishing post from the living legend. 

Another trend leveraged by Amitabh Bachchan social media strategy is staying abreast with changing times. The actor often expresses his thoughts on enhanced technology, millennial lingo, & formats. 

Sometimes, a victim to fake news, Big B believes that if one is on social media, they will be trolled, and he’s no exception to the rule.

As the ongoing pandemic took a grip over the world, the actor participated in philanthropy with initiatives by government bodies.

In July 2020, Big B tested COVID positive. The incident did not stop the actor from interacting with his followers, bringing forth his humane and emotional side when he expressed gratitude for doctors, nurses, frontline warriors. It also showcased his deep love & reverence for his father and how it helped him find strength.

In tandem to his seniority in the industry, the actor candidly appreciates new talent & initiatives, from the fraternity & audiences, alike.

As he returns to Television with #KBC12, Sr. Bachchan’s social media pages were flooded with the promo videos of the series.

Social media footprint & Analysis

Awarded the ‘Social media person of the year’ back in 2015, Big B ranks 8th in Duff & Phelps Report 2019, with a $42.5 million evaluation. In 2020, his net worth was 400$ million - as per the sixth TRA research leading the list across Cinema, Cricket, and Television.

The megastar boasts of a huge following on social media & his blog with over 90+million followers:

• Twitter- 43.9M Followers
• Facebook- 35.03M followers
• Instagram-22.3M followers

He is most active on Twitter followed by Facebook & Instagram.

The content affinity on his social media pages leans towards, Movies, Literature, Gadgets & even photography.

Twitter Overview:

Amitabh Bachchan’s Twitter account shows growth in 0.85% in terms of audience in the last 30 days.

It is observed that on Twitter most of users on Big B’s page speak English with 84.6% males.

Most of the hashtags leveraged are associated with the actor’s movies, TV series, Ef & Bharat. He also accomplished the feat of garnering 43 million followers on Twitter in 2020.

Instagram Overview:

Big B’s Instagram account showcases an engagement rate of 4.36% with a follower growth of 1.4 million in the last 30 days.

Most of his Instagram followers speak fitness, followed by movies & travel. 28%+ of this Instagram audience comprises females.

Facebook Overview

The actor’s Facebook page showcases a decline in the followers’ number in last 30 days with an engagement rate of 0.48%. But the content performance & benchmarks of the actor on the platform is way above than the industrial average as an influencer, suggest Qoruz data.

The post copies on the actor’s pages are usually long, sometimes written in Hindi, Awadhi Hindi, English with more than 50% of the posts being dynamic in nature. The background image of each post ranges from the actor’s image in-line with the caption.

As we traverse further, here’s taking the liberty (& audacity) to represent Celebrity Brand’s Social Media Takeaways (CBT) as BIG B numbers his posts.

CBT1: Personal touch & nostalgia

Amitabh Bachchan says he handles his social media activity himself contrary to what others assume. “There is no substitute to personal attention and care”, he shared in his blog. The actor also shares nostalgic posts & pictures with the family.

The father, grandfather, husband, & son, Big B’s social media presence bring forth all these shades into one. 

CBT2: Command over languages & humor 

The actor has an impeccable command over languages when he often shares captions in the Hindi translated to English, apart from Awadhi. His posts range from being witty, humorous to profound thoughts & philosophy.

Twitter banter

Once Big B even got into banter with Twitter over the loss of followers that paved the way for innumerable funny memes.

The actor even baffles his viewers with Baduumba posts in a rather comic style of communication possibly intended at having fun.

Also read: Celebrity Brands: The Shilpa Shetty social media strategy – from a diva to fitness guru

CBT3: Brand associations

Touted to be the Shahenshah of brand endorsements, Sr.Bachchan was recently quoted saying that he has been a fan of brands that stand out to do something different.

According to Qoruz data, the brand associations by the actor are dominated by FMCG, followed by TV channels and other sectors.

Qoruz data inputs for Twitter depict the actor actively associating with brands in the automobile category.

Other brand associations include TVS Motors, IDFC Bank, Incredible India, Dabur & many more. 

IDFC Bank 

TVS Motors

CBT4: Brand Moments & crises

The actor was recently in news for his quirky address to Amazon during COVID-19

Be it for crafting a positive image during crises such as Cadbury worms & attempting to reinstill faith & trust in audiences, Big B has often been the ‘go-to’ choice for many brands.

CBT5: Poetry Prose & Harivanshrai Bachchan

Sr.Bachchan often looks up to his father, in times of trouble & otherwise, and that comes across on his social media presence. His twitter account starts with a couplet penned by Lt. Harivanshrai Bachchan.

CBT6: Causes & Initiatives

Big B has spoken up on the issue of Girl Child education, Animal rights, AIDS awareness & many more. His PSA campaign and the radical movement to eradicate Polio are known to one and all.

During the ongoing pandemic, he again collaborated with the governing to spread awareness & urged people to maintain social distancing while staying safe.

Punjab Government  #MissionFateh

Supporting government initiatives

CBT7: Social media while being COVID-positive

Come July 2020, Big B tested COVID-positive. But that didn’t stop the living legend from maintaining his social media presence where he perpetually updated his followers about the prevailing conditions.

His tenure at hospital brought forth his philosophical side. He continued to interact with his audience by appreciating the initiatives of his colleagues, new talent, & remembering his father as a rescuer in the ‘loneliness’ of the premises. He even was vocal about mental health during such times & appreciated Corona warriors.

CBT8: Modernism & Tech

Big B often engages with his followers by expressing his fascination with technology, new features on social media channels, emojis, stickers & more.

About Stickers & Cartoons

Fleets

CBT9: Leveraging topical & news

Another prominent trend observed on the actor’s social media strategy is leveraging festivals, topicals & staying abreast with ongoing news.

World Chocolate day

CBT10: Filmography & Television in 2020

Big B celebrates his presence in the world of Cinema with posts on old & new movies & his stint on Television.

Completing 5 decades with Gulabo Sitabo

#KBC12

Reports suggest that Kaun Banega Crorepati is one of the brand assets for the actor & it reflects well in his communication.

CBT11: Music, Songs & Narration

COVID-19 also brought forth the musical side of the actor where he entertained his audience through Acapella & even narrations for causes.

In more emotional moments, such as the demise of a popular legend, Big B shared a song post for Lt.Rishi Kapoor.

Acapella

Singing 

Summing it up

Overall, Amitabh Bachchan social media strategy revolves around consistency & audience engagement, his love for poetry, literature, brands & so many more facets of his life; what stood out was the many shades of emotions through words capturing varied sentiments. 

While I am at a loss of words after attempting to trace & encapsulate the social media journey of the actor for almost 2 decades, one can rightly say in the words of Big B, time will pass but it will be hard to imagine a replication of Sr.Bachchan’s presence in the reel, real & now on social media life.