The trend of celebrity brand ambassadors in real estate which almost fizzled out  after seeing a boom time till  about 2010,  has staged a strong comeback , driven by the spurt in luxury housing , due to changing preferences of homebuyers for premium lifestyle homes.  

Vinod Behl 

The trend of celebrity-led branding flourished about 15 years back when residential real estate was  marred by unfair practices in an unregulated and opaque environment and developers banked heavily on  celebrity brand  ambassadors to launch and market their housing projects. But with large scale delivery defaults as the image of developers got a severe beating and the confidence of home buyers was badly shaken, developers quietly weaned away from engaging Bollywood and sports icons. The real estate slowdown also weighed down heavily against hiring celebrities for a hefty fee. Particularly after RERA came into force in 2017, the trend of celebrity brand ambassadors literally died down. 

However, unlike in the past when many weak and lesser-known real estate developers banked on the popular appeal of celebrities to market their projects, celebrity branding 2.0 is seeing large reputed developers with good track record of execution, engaging celebrities to further amplify their image. Also, unlike earlier, when developers hired celebrity brand ambassadors to market their individual projects, now besides for  launching new projects, celebrities are also  being  used as a symbol of success  to highlight brand philosophy of the company. And like in the past, besides Mumbai, Delhi-NCR is in the forefront to usher in the celebrity brand ambassador revolution. 

According to Ashwinder R Singh, Chairman, CII Real Estate Committee and Vice Chairman, BCD Group, celebrity brand ambassadors made a visible comeback in 2025 for a clear reason-the return of confidence in the premium and luxury housing cycle.” As ticket  sizes rose and competition intensified , developers looked for faster brand recall, sharper differentiation and emotional resonance and celebrity associations offered that initial accelerations”, he says.

Adds Alok Gupta, Director, Graphisads, The revival of brand ambassadors in real estate is significantly driven by the booming luxury segment. Celebrity endorsements effectively align with the aspirations of HNIs as they match the public figure’s affluent image with premium properties. This strategy builds vital trust and credibility for developers and differentiating projects in competitive markets”. 

More recently, particularly in 2025, , several prominent film and sports stars have been  associated with real estate brands- the most prominent being the mega stars of Bollywood- Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan . Amitabh Bachchan appeared as brand ambassador for  a leading Mumbai developer- House of Abhinandan Lodha (HoABL) for  their plotted development in Ayodhya. He was also associated with Pune developer- Gera Developments . Superstar Shah Rukh Khan was engaged by Delhi-NCR developer Elan Group to enhance their luxury branding, aligning with Shah Rukh’s image for perfection, ambition  and excellence , Shah Rukh  was also associated with India-origin Dubai based leading developer, Danube Group. The other celebrity brand ambassadors included- Sonam Kapoor (Runwal Group), Saif Ali Khan & Kareena Kapoor (Travoc ), Kareena Kapoor (Casagrand), Hrithik Roshan (Evoc Realtech), Shahid & Mira Kapoor (Shapoorji Pallonji), Sunny Leonne (Arihant Superstructures). Affordable housing  pioneer turned premium housing developer- Signature Global ,continues to bet on their tried and tested brand ambassador – film actor Vidya Balan.

South India’s prominent developer, Casagrand hired a number of South Indian film celebrities for their premium /luxury residential projects in Chennai and  Hyderabad . These included prominent film stars from South- Nayanthara, Nani and Venkatesh Daggubati. For their western Indian projects, noted Bollywood  star couple – Genelia and Riteish Deshmukh were hired .

Some real estate groups placed their bet on sports stars. Delhi-NCR’s well known real estate group-Omaxe appointed Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of the Indian Women’s cricket team as their brand ambassador, building on the launch of Omaxe State, an integrated destination for sports , leisure and culture. Casabrand roped in Saurav Ganguly as their national Brand Ambassador  for reinforcing their luxury residential brand campaign. OneX Properties on the other hand placed their bet on wrestler-influencer Sangram Singh for   high-end residential sales markets in India and Dubai. 

Interestingly, few distinct  trends emerged in the world of celebrity brand ambassadors. HoABL introduced the concept of  celebrity endorsement for branded land . More interestingly, it came up with an all new concept of organic celebrity association. Says Saurabh Jain, CMO, HoABL, ” At HoABL, celebrity associations are organic i.e several celebrities associated with our brand are customers  and landowners first They experienced the product , trusted our fully digital and transparent buying process and then chose to invest before endorsing the brand”. Significantly HoABL’s brand ambassador Amitabh Bachchan is the proud owner of branded land in a plotted residential project in Ayodhya. Danube Properties expanded the concept of celebrity endorsements by launching an entire high-end commercial tower- Danube by Shahrukhz in Dubai , named after Shah Rukh Khan. Danube also cashed in on the popular appeal of Bollywood’s super star Salman Khan by associating with Big Boss 19-one of India’s most-watched reality television show with global viewership. To carry   forward this celebrity appeal in 2026, Danube Group’s founder and chairman is hosting Big Boss 19 winners and participants in Dubai on January 6-7. 

Considering the magical appeal of celebrities, the moot question is – To what extent brand ambassadors help in marketing and sale of real estate projects .More recently the first phase of Elan the Statement project ,endorsed by Shah Rukh Khan was completely sold out. Similarly, the entire tower of ‘Shahrukhz by Danube project was sold out on the first day of its launch. Does this mean that brand ambassadors directly influence real estate sales? Discerning buyers consider celebrity endorsements as mere branding tool for emotional pull, not compromising on due diligence on project.  Brand experts say that ultimately fundamentals like developer’s reputation and delivery track record and project’s features and lifestyle amenities and long-term value matter in the decision to buy property. 

Rizwan Sajan of Danube Group says that though Bollywood celebrities do not directly boost sales, they do help our brand as they have widespread appeal in India and Middle-East , helping us reach aspirational buyers more effectively. “But, sales are driven by good product quality, right pricing and easy payment plans, besides the track record of the developer”, he adds. Ashwinder R Singh is of the opinion that celebrity brand ambassadors do attract attention but real estate being the biggest financial and emotional commitment, is not an impulse purchase. “When buyers move from celebrity curiosity to commitment, recognition gives way to reassurance. And buyers lean on expert advice on promises  and risks “, he adds. Speaking from his experience in 2025, Alok Gupta of Graphisads says that brand ambassadors became pivotal for branded residences, enabling developers to command a 20-40% premium. “High visibility outdoor advertising featuring brand ambassadors created powerful brand recall and strategic use of national and regional stars resonated deeply with target buyers”, he reaffirms.

Going forward in 2026, the linkage between real estate  brands and celebrities looks to grow deeper and more authentic Endorsement shaped by first hand experience with the brand, genuine belief and ownership rather than mere association will resonate far more strongly, driving marketing effectiveness and sustained brand equity. Ashwinder R Singh has a last word, ” As we move further into 2026, what will matter is product over publicity and credibility over recall”.