Interview: Malaika Arora on her recent brand associations and thought process behind brand collaborations

• While many actors and models have entered the advertising world and vanished with time, Malaika Arora has never left showbiz, setting an example for other women actors in the industry.
• She has had her fair share of ups and downs but reinvented herself into different avatars to stay relevant.
• In an exclusive chat with Advertising and Media Insider, Malaika Arora talks about her recent association with Kapiva, screening process for selecting brands and changing marketing landscape.
• She also takes us back to the early day of her journey in the advertising industry, shares how her mother remember every single ad she has worked in.

Malaika Arora, the 48-year-old Bollywood actor, entrepreneur and model, recently bagged yet another brand in her kitty. She is now the face of Ayurveda brand Kapiva and continues to represent a diverse set of brands across categories such as Food & Beverages, Ayurveda, Skincare, Fitness, FMCG, and more. By following her passion and staying ahead of the curve, Malaika has also become an example of breaking age disparity in the industry. With changing times, she has reinvented herself into many new avatars and built a strong social media presence.

She has over 14 million followers on Instagram. She posts fashion tips, her fitness regime, offers healthy food advice and also jumps on to trending reels. According to media reports, she has a net worth of $10 million.

Malaika was last seen on the silver screen in the 2010 film Dabbang but she never really left the limelight. She continued judging various TV reality shows, recently became an entrepreneur by starting her own wellness brand Sarva and invested an undisclosed amount in Kapiva.

In an exclusive chat with Advertising and Media Insider, Malaika Arora talks to us about her recent association, modus operandi behind selecting brands and how has the advertising and marketing industry evolved over the years.

Excerpts:

Q. You recently invested in Ayurveda brand Kapiva. Can you tell us what inspired you to associate with this brand and be its ambassador? What is it that you are trying to promote and achieve with your association?
Yes, recently I've been associated with Kapiva as a strategic investor and brand ambassador. I think when it comes to Kapiva, firstly, I just like to say that I have been a consumer and a user of the brand for a very long time. So when they approached me with this association, it was a very obvious one, it was a very easy transition. It's not just about Kapiva, it is Ayurveda that I believe in, and the science of Ayurveda. I am the kind of person -- if I have a voice, I need to let people know and I need that voice to be conveyed. It's not just about being a pretty face, I think I've done that long enough. Now, I want to be that voice that people can associate with, can hear. It's amazing, the number of people that actually turn around and tell me the fact that you are consuming something -- that you are endorsing Kapiva, they feel a sense of trust and that we should use it as well. So, I think that's the kind of voice that I want to have. And I just want to be able to reach out to people and tell them Ayurveda, what it does, what it stands for is so beneficial. People don't have too much knowledge about it. So that's what we want to do. We want to make people aware, we will impart that knowledge. And Kapiva has given me that platform to talk about it at length.

Q. Can you take us back to the very first advertisement that you worked in and walk us through your journey?
I vaguely remember I think I did a fashion editorial. After that editorial, I went on to grace covers of magazines, and then I did quite a few TVCs. I had done some other little things as a kid when I was in school. I worked in one of these amusement parks ads.

Q. Can you share a few of your personal favourite ads?
Wow. I've had so many. I think back in the day, it was a little less strenuous in the sense that it was not so hectic. Work is hectic at the end of the day. Once you're on set, it's hectic but it was a lot easier -- the whole process. But yeah, I remember my MR Coffee ad or my Wrangler ad. I'd done some biscuits ads, I've done some chips and then a whole lot of things. My mother would be better suited to answer this question. She's the one who has probably kept tabs on all the work that I've done over the years. I tend to forget some of the stuff that I've done. I'm like, 'Oh, my God, I actually did that.' It was a while back.
Q. What is your screening process behind selecting your brand deals? You mentioned that you were a Kapiva user before you became its brand ambassador, is that something you follow for other brands too? Do you prefer endorsing products and services that you do use in real life?
Well, I won't say I only endorse brands that I use but then I also have to have a synergy with the brand that I'm endorsing. We have to share a similar ethos, mindset, goal in terms of what we want to do and how we want to reach out. There are certain brands that I'm not comfortable endorsing at all because they don't really figure in my scheme of things. There are certain brands that I am completely anti. And there are some brands that I have not tried in terms of as a regular consumer, but I was made aware of or I became aware in the course of time. And I came onboard if I felt it kind of gelled with me. Obviously, I'm not going to be okay about endorsing something that just doesn't fit in my scheme of things. Every time, before we have any discussion about any of the brands that I'm associated with, I always ask whether I need to wear it, whether I need to consume it, whether I need to use it, I need to feel comfortable before actually getting onboard.

Q. The marketing and advertising landscape has changed a lot since you started and especially after the emergence of social media. So, what do you think consumers are expecting from brands today?
At the end of the day, you've got to connect with a brand. There have to be certain pointers that need to stand out; whether it is marketability, saleability, price point, access to brands, etc. So yes, in today's day and age, suddenly, people are so much more conscious and aware about fitness, wellness. It was always there but there was not so much emphasis. Now the kind of emphasis that is there on fitness, wellness, holistic living, is a lot more and, and because of the pandemic, people are a lot more aware. So products that are in the realm of fitness or wellness have become the need of the hour. So there's a lot of demand for that.

Q. What's the one thing you want brands in India to take note of or change?
Everybody is talking about sustainability; eco friendly, sustainability, environment friendly, these are things that are need of the hour. And if we don't think in that direction, then our beautiful mother earth is going to suffer. I feel we have lived through a pandemic is probably also because of that, because consumption has hit an all-time high. The whole carbon print has become such a major issue. It was nature's way of resetting and rebalancing the universe. So, you have to respect and love your mother earth and in turn, she will love you back. She will protect you.

Q. There's a certain career graph that every actor goes through and there are always ups and downs. You have been evergreen in this industry. So what is your advice to budding actors or content creators?
No, I'm gonna negate you over there, I've had my fair share of ups and downs. So I'm extremely grateful. I feel extremely lucky for the opportunities that I've got, and, and the opportunities that I've been able to avail of, but I've had my fair share of ups and downs. At the end of the day, I think what is very important in this business is to stay relevant. And the only way you can stay relevant is if you keep reinventing, you've got to stay abreast, got to understand what your audiences, your consumer, your fan base, what they are expecting. So, I have changed with the times. It's not that I've just changed for the sake of changing, you've also got to keep up with the time. So I tend to do that and of course, there are certain things I'm still understanding and getting used to, but the idea is to stay relevant.