Foodpanda ropes in Shah Rukh Khan as brand ambassador

Internet companies are rushing to name Bollywood stars as their brand ambassadors. Now, online food delivery company Foodpanda has named Shah Rukh Khan as its brand ambassador.

Khan will feature in an upcoming campaign where he will talk about Foodpanda’s various offerings, including early morning and late night delivery, express guarantee and best offers on restaurants. The ad will be first released on television followed by print, radio and outdoor.

Saurabh Kochhar, chief executive, Foodpanda India, said, “Our biggest problem is not the brand recall but creating a demand which cuts across all age, gender and consumer demographics. We feel this brand association between Foodpanda and Shah Rukh Khan will provide further impetus to our determination to change the way India eats.”

Foodpanda recently got funding of $431.45 million from South African internet investor Naspers. In December last year, it was merged by its investor Rocket Internet with Delivery Hero, a German online food delivery marketplace.

Launched in 2012, Foodpanda India claims to have over 12,000 restaurant partners across 100 cities in the country. It competes with other players in the food delivery space, like Swiggy and Zomato.

Recently, MakeMyTrip signed superstars Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt as new brand ambassadors for their travel company. The company realised the opportunity in attracting young travellers who are fond of roaming around in India and abroad.

In the past, companies like Snapdeal, Yepme, Myntra and Jabong, among others, have roped in film stars for promotion.

However, this is the second time when Khan is promoting an internet company after Yepme.

Besides, he also endorses an array of brands, including direct-to-home platform Dish TV, furnishing fabric brand D’decor, luxury watch brand Tag Heuer and paint brand Kansai Nerolac. According to celebrity managers, he charges Rs 2 crore a day for shooting for the brands he endorses.