Actor Akshay Kumar was the most visible celebrity in TV ads in 2020, followed closely by cricketer Virat Kohli.

According to data by AdEx India, a division of TAM Media Research, Kumar’s share in ad volumes on television was an estimated 7 per cent, while Kohli’s share in ad volumes stood at about 6 per cent.

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Toilet soaps and toilet/floor cleaners emerged as the top two categories in terms of highest share in TV ad volumes in 2020. Milk beverages, hair dyes and aerated soft drinks were the other heavily advertised categories last year.

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“The top ten brand endorsers together accounted for 39 per cent share of the overall ad volumes during the January-December period last year. The top ten celebrity list in 2020 (in terms of ad volume share) has five females and five male celebrities,” TAM Media’s study pointed out.

4% share for Kareena, Kiara

Kareena Kapoor and Kiara Advani were the the two most visible female celebrities in TV ads last year, with a share of 4 per cent each in overall ad volumes. Actors Ranveer Singh and Amitabh Bachchan also shared the third spot with the same share of ad volumes in 2020.

Alia Bhatt, MS Dhoni, Anushka Sharma and Taapsee Pannu were the other brand endorsers ranked in the top ten in terms of leading celebrities in terms of their share in ad volumes.

While the share in overall ad volumes of both Bhatt and Dhoni stood at 3 per cent respectively, the share of ads featuring Sharma and Pannu in the overall ad volumes in 2020 stood at 2 per cent.

According to the AdEx India data, Hindustan Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser India, ITC, Ponds India and L’Oreal India emerged as the top five advertisers on television in 2020.

However, as brands rationalised ad spends due to the adverse impact of the pandemic, overall ad volumes in 2020 were down 9 per cent compared to 2019.

Interestingly, Virat Kohli, Akshay Kumar and Ranveer Singh have also been ranked among the top three most valued celebrities in 2020, in a study released recently by Duff & Phelps on celebrity brand valuation.