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Amitabh Bachchan is new Parker mascot

BS Marketing Bureau

First came ICICI and now it is Parker. Clearly, Kaun Banega Crorepati, the popular game show on Star Plus, has resurrected Amitabh Bachchan, and companies are vying with one another to sign him up as their brand ambassador. It is learnt that the premium American pen brand Parker has signed him for an estimated Rs 50 million.

Currently, the Parker account is being handled by advertising agency Lintas. Though officials at Lintas were tightlipped about the issue, a senior official said "wait and watch for the new campaign." Lintas won the Parker account in December 2000.

Meanwhile, Sanjeev Goyal, marketing head at Luxor Writing Instruments (the company which markets the Parker brand in India), said, "We are planning to introduce several new products. However, we are still not ready to reveal our plans." The company has earlier used television star Shekhar Suman for its Pilot and Paper Mate brands.

Celebrity endorsements are not new to the writing instruments industry as Bollywood stars such as Salman Khan and Raveena Tandon have promoted some brands earlier.

It must be remembered that, internationally, Parker ceased to be a Gillette brand since Gillette's stationery products business was acquired by Newell Rubbermaid in late December 2000 for $525 million.

Thanks to the acquisition, the other brands which shifted to Newell include Paper Mate, Waterman, and Liquid Paper. Newell Rubbermaid is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of high volume consumer products in the home and office segment.

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