Priyanka beats Aamir, Dhoni, Hrithik

Priyanka Chopra certainly seems to be having a great year. A recent survey conducted by TAM media research shows the actor has emerged as the top brand endorser in 2009 (data tabulated till September).

Interestingly, Priyanka has edged past endorsement giants like MS Dhoni, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Amitabh Bachchan.

Explaining the reason behind Priyanka's phenomenal growth, T Gangadhar, veteran media analyst and head honcho of Mediaedge:cia India, says, "She has managed to be on top of our minds through her brilliant performances in movies and her choice of endorsements. She has picked up some really good clients and hasn't lost out on the existing ones. Thus, she has only added strength to her portfolio."

Gangadhar adds, "Priyanka is an extremely glam girl who can also mould herself as the girl-next-door. It reflects on her choice of movies (going glam for Dostana and Fashion and deglam for Kaminey). This automatically widens her horizon while choosing brands. Thus, she has managed to be the face of the biggest mobile phone company in the world, a luxury watch brand, a giant two-wheeler company and has also endorsed products like soaps, shampoos and even a men's garment line."

Anil Dua, senior VP of the two-wheeler company that Priyanka endorses, says, "We chose her because she's not only bindass but also a no-nonsense person. She shows a lot of clarity in thinking."

However, Harish Bijoor, another top analyst, feels this is a 'one-off' thing. He says, "Though the year has been good for Priyanka, a hero can never be replaced by a heroine. Cinema and advertising are hero-driven industries and they will continue to remain the same regardless of this exception. At the same time I don't want to take away the credit from Priyanka. She represents the modern Indian woman."

Speaking about her achievement, Priyanka says, "I'm high on life. This year has been truly great for me. I have essayed different roles, my acting has been appreciated and I've won awards for my performances. Now, I'm also the top brand in India. That's a feat I humbly cherish. This gives me an extra drive to continue the hard work and not let my fans down. :melikes: So, I'm going to continue striving for excellence relentlessly."

When asked to define her brand image in a sentence, she laughed and asked, "Just one sentence to define me?" So obviously we gave her some leeway and Priyanka went on to say, "I can be what is required of me — I can be intelligent, smart, sexy, shy and the girl-next-door. I have done a film in which I have shown 12 personalities and so I would say I'm young and someone whom people can relate to."