Karnataka Criticized for Selecting Tamannaah Bhatia as Brand Ambassador for Mysore Sandal Soap

The Karnataka government has named Bollywood actress Tamannaah Bhatia as the brand ambassador for Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL), the maker of Mysore Sandal Soap.

According to an official order issued on Wednesday, Bhatia will serve as the brand ambassador for a period of two years and two days, with a contract valued at ₹6.2 crore.

The decision drew flak from certain sections of society who questioned her appointment.

A woman questioned the decision on ‘X’, asking why the government appointed and promoted Hindi actresses instead of choosing local Kannada talents like @AshikaRanganath as the brand ambassador.

State Commerce and Industries Minister MB Patil explained on Thursday that the government made the decision after much deliberation in order to aggressively penetrate markets beyond Karnataka.

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Karnataka Minister Defends Appointment, Cites Strategic Marketing Goals

The KSDL has the deepest respect and regards to the Kannada film industry, Mr Patil said, adding that some Kannada movies are giving competition to even Bollywood films.

“Mysore Sandal has a very good brand recall within Karnataka, which shall be strengthened. However the intent of Mysore Sandal is to also penetrate markets beyond Karnataka aggressively,” the minister clarified.

“The pride of Karnataka is also a Jewel of the Nation. Hence it’s an independent strategic decision of the PSU board after consulting various marketing experts,” Mr Patil noted.

According to him, choosing a brand ambassador takes a lot of deliberation and also considerations like availability for any given category if they have a non-competition agreement, social media presence, coherence with the brand, product and target audience and marketing fit and reach.

“Our vision is for KSDL to touch annual revenue of Rs 5,000 crore by 2028,” the minister said. 

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