While diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, it looks like it is a man who is needed to set up the introduction. Just consider the number of jewellery brands having male actors as ambassadors to promote their wares.

From younger stars like Vijay, Madhavan and Prasanna to veterans like Prabhu and even Amitabh Bachchan, it is actors who have become the go-to guys for jewellery brands. The latest to join the bandwagon is Suriya, who has replaced Ilaiyaraaja (yet another male celebrity!) for a jewellery brand.

So, what makes advertisers go for actors than actresses when it comes to jewellery ads? Says brand guru and communications consultant Ramanujam Sridhar, “I don’t think there is any great strategy involved. If the brand wants to showcase its range of jewellery, then, female actresses and models are still the best bet. My assumption is that this trend began mainly because one brand chose to do it and the competitors, not wanting to be left behind, followed their lead.”

However, he lists out probable ‘retrospective’ reasons for this present trend. “All these ads are riding on emotions and are mainly about showcasing the values of the brand. In fact, some of them do not even feature shots of jewellery. These actors belong to Tamil Nadu and can emote well (compared to the present crop of actresses, most of whom come from outside the state), and so, they are instantly relatable,” he says and adds, “Perhaps, it could also be down to the simple fact that women find men more attractive.”

Actor Prasanna, who was part of an ad campaign by a retail brand for their gold savings scheme, explains why he chose to endorse a jewellery product. “They are one of the leading brands in the state and the ad was for a savings scheme. Plus, the campaign (with the tagline ‘My gold for my girl’) was also related to my life as I was about to get married to Sneha and helped me relate to it better,” says the actor.

“Of course, even men wear jewellery today, but, the favouritism of women towards a male actor helps to an extent,” he adds and jokingly asks, “But when it comes to jewellery, does it really matter to women who is promoting them?”