Cover Story
- The rising stars in the world of endorsements are unable to match the appeal of the old favourites, forcing marketers to look beyond film stars and cricketers.
- From a wrestler endorsing a tractor to a chef selling kitchen items, companies are increasingly signing up niche celebrities to promote their brands.
- The 48-year-old superstar has successfully leveraged adulation and extended his man-of-the-masses image to create a charity and lifestyle brand, Being Human, which has almost become as big as him.
- In the endorsement game, M.S. Dhoni, helped by his friend Arun Pandey, has gone where no other Indian sportsperson dared to tread. They created India's most valuable sports celebrity. Along the way, they also changed the rules of the endorsement game.
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Hottest trends in the spring-summer season
From the silhouette of your suits, the fabrics to use and the rim of your hat; we let you in on the hottest trends of the season.
New products in the market
Sink into Panasonic's intuitively designed Real Pro heat massage chair after a week of being hunched up in front of the laptop.Epson Moverio BT-100: Portable mobile viewer
Forget comparing screen size when deciding which business cabin to travel by. Instead, just whip out the Epson Moverio BT-100 and make your movie-watching experience as large as you like.Banaglore a perfect address for new business hotel
The Bangalore suburb which has become a haven of sorts for a number of multinational information technology companies, is the perfect address for this new business hotel which lies smack in the centre of all the activityAll about Louis Vuitton's Art of Packing android app
Louis Vuitton's Art of Packing android app offers the best advice on the finer points of fitting things in and guides you through packing a large suitcase.More Bollywood celebrities at Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds New York is celebrating and honouring Hindi film and culture with the unveiling of a new Bollywood exhibit featuring wax figurines of five of Indian cinemas biggest stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai and Kareena Kapoor.Stock your bar with some of the rarest spirits in the world
Here's how you can stock your bar with some of the rarest spirits in the world.What to keep in mind while customising your supercar
Auto majors tell you what to keep in mind while customising your supercar. Don't let the snooty vibe of high octane sales hammer you out. Hold your own at auctions.
Trekking expeditions to take away from the boardroom
Whether you are an avid hiker or a keen amateur, these four trekking expeditions-Deoriatal, Kudremukh, Dzongri, and Zanskar-offer the perfect challenge away from the boardroom.Dutch airline KLM unanimous winner in a dining programme
Dutch airline KLM emerged the unanimous winner for its long-haul, in-flight dining programme.Copenhagen airport gets a facelift
In a bid to accommodate the rise in foreign passenger traffic, Copenhagen's airport in Kastrup recently completed a refurbishment that cost hundreds of millions of kroner.Ideal weekend morning: Bird watching
After a week of being cooped up in office, pack a pair of binoculars and lots of patience for a weekend at the stake out.Adventure sports: What is the driving force
Adventure sports can seem daunting and even dangerous to first-timers. BT More spoke with three adrenaline junkies to find out why their first time kept them going back for more. So loosen that tie, break out that backpack, and go trippin'!
restaurant review thrity nine in hauz khas village new delhi
Craving for some fun Brit food? Head over to Thrity Nine in Hauz Khas Village that brings back the British dream.
Pak's proximity to China, Iran have raised alarm bells in India
Pakistan's decisions to hand over a port to China and source gas from Iran have raised alarm bells in India.Ram Karuturi mulls taking his rose-to-maize company private
Rising debt and the slow pace of growth of the farm business have weighed on shares of Ram Karuturi-led Karuturi Global. The scrip has plunged more than 90 per cent to Rs 3 apiece from Rs 38 in October 2010.Amar Chitra Katha vies to become a multi-media powerhouse
Two years after the death of its founder Anant Pai, Amar Chitra Katha wants to become a multi-media powerhouse. It has has forayed onto new platforms, and expects to do even better in future.The old guard in Silicon Valley is crumbling. It will happen in India too: Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, author of such global bestsellers on business as The Tipping Point, Outliers and Blink, was among the speakers at the India Today conclave. He offers his unique perspective on business opportunities, skilling and the Indian advantage in an interview to K. Sai Srinivas.PE and VC firms warm up to agribusiness
Once an unfashionable sector, agribusiness has lately seen strong interest from PE and venture capital (VC) funds. With both conventional and specialised PE and VC firms warming up to agribusiness, companies in the sector are well placed to realise their potential, and funding may not be a problem after all.Telenor's troubles in India have been a valuable learning experience, says CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas
Despite its troubles in India, CEO Jon Fredrik Baksaas remains optimistic on the Indian market and is banking on its low-cost model to grow the business.Money laundering: Cobrapost expose shows banking system is flawed
Hidden-camera videos of India's three leading private banks' officials allegedly advising customers on money-laundering recently kicked up a storm. Heads have started to roll at the junior levels in these banks - ICICI, HDFC and Axis. But punishing wrongdoers is unlikely to stem the irregularities as the system is flawed.Despite slow economic growth, India a safe bet for investment: Fund managers poll
India is a good investment bet even if the economy clocks low growth in the coming financial year, says the majority of the fund managers polled in the first ever survey of fund houses commissioned by Business Today.Tejas Networks likely to fare better than Sycamore Networks
Tejas Networks, one of India's most innovative telecom product makers, has suffered three difficult years after revenues went into free fall, but it is likely to fare better than the ill-fated Sycamore Networks, with which it has much in common.Praise for the India was evident at the Conclave 2013
More such praise for the world's biggest democracy was evident at the Conclave, India's biggest leadership event in its 12th year, on March 15 and 16.
Naive to expect breakthrough reforms from UPA amid political chaos
The UPA government will do its best to follow its economic agenda, but it will be naive to expect breakthrough reforms.3G roaming: No end in sight yet to dispute between Centre and telecom operators
A victory for operators will be welcomed by consumers. While, if the DOT wins, consumers will have to wait till the time more 3G bandwidth is released into the market for accessing data services across India.Review: Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 92Z and Microsoft Wedge Keyboard
The Lenovo ThinkCentre Edge 92Z is an all-in-one that may well shortly replace desktops in many homes and offices.Why India lags behind most countries in terms of annual R&D spends and patent filings
In a competitive, globalised economy, companies need to innovate constantly to remain in the reckoning. Indian companies, however, have not yet woken up to the need to boost spending on research and development (R&D), through which alone product innovation is possible.Monetary easing has had little impact so far
Over the last year, the central bank has cut the repo rate by a full percentage point, but that has hardly translated into lower borrowing rates for companies and individuals as banks are struggling to deal with the fallout of three years of elevated inflation.K. Anji Reddy helped transform the way the world perceived Indian drug makers
K. Anji Reddy founded what is today one of India's biggest drug companies, but his larger contribution was his focus on research and development.RBI cuts repo rate by 25 basis points: Who said what
Repo rate cut will have no impact on loan, deposit rates. Unless banks can reduce deposit rates, a lending rate cut is difficult, says Pratip Chaudhuri, Chairman, State Bank of India, in The Economic TimesNews that you may have missed last fortnight
Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, not known to mince words, has warned corporate promoters against wilful defaults at a meeting with heads of state-run banks.A look at India-Italy relations
The Italian government left India sputtering with rage with its announcement that two Italian Navy marines, who had been jailed for killing two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast in February 2012, but who were allowed to return home to cast their votes, were not in fact being sent back.
Head to places that let you kick back
Drown the busy bucketlist and head to places that let you kick back.
Banks stocks are likely to grow in the coming year
Banks stocks are likely to grow in the coming year and provide good returns.
The job of 'executive assistant' has a lot more potential than the title suggests
The title 'executive assistant to the CEO's office' is often mistaken for an executive secretary's job, but it is far from being a simple administrative job. An executive assistant is often the eyes and ears of the CEO - a job that could be a stepping stone to bigger things.
What happens when a delicate, elegant wine meets a Maharashtrian meal
Find out what happens when a delicate, elegant wine meets a rustic, robust Maharashtrian meal.Restaurant review: La Tagliatella
La Tagliatella, a popular fine-dining Italian food chain, kicks off its foray in India with an outlet in Delhi's Ambience Mall.Restaurant review: FINDS in Hong Kong
When in Hong Kong, hop over to FINDS, the Michelin-star Nordic restaurant, where every morsel is worth its weight in gold.Some guilt-free, healthy snack options
Many executives have a secret snack stash in their desk drawers. Here are some guilt-free, healthy options.
'It's a very thin line between celebrity and notoriety.'
A shower of advertising asteroids bombards us every day, and chances are we will remember products that have famous faces associated with them - even when you can fast-forward past the commercials in a digital world.
Your cover story 'A Cut Below' is an alarming one.
The government has to think about the skilling crisis, or else the Indian economy will be shattered, says Akhilesh Kumar Sah, Faizabad.
Biggest deals in the past 30 days
Generic drugmaker Mylan Inc. will acquire Agila Specialties - a developer, manufacturer and marketer of high-quality generic injectible products - from Strides Arcolab for $1.6 billion (Rs 8,674.2 crore) in cash.
How govts in developing countries measure and tackle poverty is doubtful
Given the rising inequality in many developing countries, the ways in which governments measure and tackle poverty are suspect.
Stylish close to 2013 edition of the BT Pro-Am of Champions
Corporate honchos and professional golfers swung in style to bring the 2013 edition of the BT Pro-Am of Champions to a close.
Book review - Lean in: Women, Work and the Will to Lead
A 21st century from-the-heart manifesto by Facebook's Chief Operating Officer
People who made news last fortnight
Starring: Robert M. Bakish CEO, Viacom International Media Networks, Shailesh Rao, Vice President, International Operations, Twitter, Tom Mendoza, Vice Chairman, NetApp