Vodafone Idea (Vi) has announced Shah Rukh Khan as the centrepiece of its comprehensive brand makeover campaign, unveiling the new identity on September 1 with the tagline 'Vi badal raha hai... tayaar rahiye'. According to reports from Business Standard, the rebranding extends beyond a new campaign, with Vi moving the yellow two-dimensional dot from below the 'i' in its logo to the top, creating a three-dimensional, sphere-like design. The company positions this change as communicating 'optimism, energy and the possibilities' ahead, while signalling broader business and network improvements.
Khan's selection as Vi's brand ambassador is strategically significant given his market position as India's most valuable celebrity brand. As reported by Business Standard, according to the Kroll India Celebrity Brand Valuation 2025 report, Khan retained his position with a brand value of $177.9 million, representing a 22% increase in 2025 despite his last film release being Dunki in December 2023. This growth occurred while the combined value of India's top 25 celebrity brands declined 3.7% during the same period, highlighting Khan's exceptional market resilience.
Khan's endorsement history in the telecom sector demonstrates his unique commercial appeal across direct competitors. According to Business Standard, Khan has fronted all three of India's major telecom rivals - Airtel in 2006, Jio at its 2015 launch, and now Vi. Kimline Dsouza from Hashtag Orange noted that no other Indian star has been trusted by three direct competitors in the same sector, proving his singular commercial appeal in the telecom space.
Khan's endorsement history demonstrates significant brand transformation capabilities, particularly with Hyundai where he became the face of the Santro in 1998. As reported by Business Standard, the Santro was launched in September 1998 and within six months by March 1999, Hyundai had become India's second-largest car manufacturer, with the Santro crossing 100,000 cumulative sales by June 2000 and eventually selling more than 1.3 million units in India. His partnership with Dubai Tourism's #BeMyGuest campaign in 2016 generated around 45 million views and 65 million social-media engagements in its initial phase.
The appointment comes as Vi faces the challenge of convincing consumers that an established brand has changed rather than introducing a new brand to India. According to Business Standard, Ashish Bhasin from The Bhasin Consulting Group emphasized that celebrity endorsement can only take a brand so far, noting that ultimately the brand must stand on its own legs. Industry experts suggest that Khan's association could serve as a booster, but Vi will need a strong underlying strategy to convert visibility into meaningful and sustained impact, with the real return on investment expected to show in subscriber-addition trends and reduced churn over the next 12-18 months.
