Deepika Padukone replaces Preity Zinta as BSNL brand ambassador

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has appointed Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone as its brand ambassador. The Bollywood starlet has signed a one year contract with the public sector telecom major, which has rolled out extensive business plans recently, including a foray into CDMA services.

Padukone replaces Preity Zinta, who currently endorses the BSNL brand. Zinta's television commercials for BSNL recently focused on the company's landline services, talking about their broadband, multi-play, and telephony services by trying to pair a BSNL landline number with the identity of the home.

Preity Zinta's earlier advertising campaign was for BSNL's mobile services, showing the actress calling home and staying in touch with loved ones as well as talking to professional associates from outdoor locations while on shoots.

BSNL is reported to have chalked out an aggressive marketing strategy to promote their brand, with a planned spend of around Rs100 crore in advertising and marketing.