Apple is set to make Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan its brand ambassador for India, according to a local report yesterday.
Indian tech website PC Tablet cited sources familiar with the matter, claiming that the announcement will be made when Apple launches its latest iPhone models in India later this year.
Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a private dinner at Khan's home during his recent weeklong visit to the country. Before the Bollywood star-studded dinner, Cook was also escorted around movie sets by the president of India's Film and TV Producers Guild, Mukesh Bhatt, who said Cook was "keen to see how Apple could partner with the Indian film industry".
Apple has a number of brand ambassadors around the world, including Brazilian-born FC Barcelona soccer player Neymar and NBA player Steph Curry.
Last month it was reported that Apple is close to signing England international soccer player Raheem Sterling as its figurehead of Apple's promotional work around the European Championship this summer.
Top Rated Comments
Apple is going down the Beats track, make so so products and invest in celebrities to push them, worked a charm pushing out junk headphones at first. And beats has not innovated anything in years either .
http://www.netpaths.net/blog/steve-jobs-apple-doesn’t-do-market-research/
So yes. Apple now needs ambassadors to help sell product. And that's a shame.
So India has 1.3 billion people to help Apple grow even more? 60% of them are living on $4 a day. India only has a middle class of around 300 million, but Indian middle class is American poor. The Indian middle class makes $16 to $20 per day. That's 300 million people. There are another 600 million that make less than that.
Apple trying to manufacture in India with their well-known relations with Chinese labor sure looks great for the growth of India, right? Americans are clamoring for a $15 hourly wage while Indians making $20 a day are the Indian middle class, so we can be sure that Indian manufacturing workers making the iPhones will be getting that "Indian middle class" pay.
1. A brand ambassador can help you sell more phones (for ex) through your existing channels (in India and other countries). Its not always about lobbying for opening stores.
2. Apple can spend time on R&D and on lobbying at the same time. It's not exactly a 1-person company.
In summary, your comment makes no sense.
[doublepost=1464953737][/doublepost] Or it could be the laws pushed by the country on all foreign entrants....but let's go with the "Apple is evil and the world is cautious" narrative. Makes much more sense that way.