JMGT_V3_N4_RP3 Mrinalini Pandey Journal on Management 2230 – 715X 3 4 23 33 Celebrity Endorsements, Competitive Advantage, Promotional Tool, Emotional Benefits In the frenzied market place celebrity endorsements of products have become an increasingly popular trend as most of the companies today are using celebrities to increase the appeal of their offerings. The main reason behind this is the assumption that the Brand becomes easily recognizable and recalls of the brand leads to buying. Celebrity endorsement is a time tested strategy as celebrities have been used since long for advertising. A study by AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research, finds that there has been 49 per cent growth in celebrity endorsement ad volumes on TV during 2007 compared to 2006. Thus, there is a need to stop and test whether the previous rules of consumers following the pied-piper; read celebrity, still works. This study is an enquiry undertaken to determine the effectiveness of celebrity endorsement as an effective promotional tool to gain competitive advantage by establishing emotional connect with the customers in today's era. Through a theoretical enquiry substituted by empirical research, this paper posits a discussion on risks and rewards of promoting the products' emotional benefits by using celebrities as communications tool. It contributes to gaining insights for the use of celebrities as the marketing device for gaining mind and heart share for the Brands. March - May 2009 Copyright © 2009 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=199