The recent activities that surrounded Hardik Pandya after his sexist comments on Koffee with Karan have resulted in a fallout between him and Gillette. Gillette has roped in Pandya just last year to launch MACH 3, but taking a stand against his inappropriate behavior, the brand broke ties with immediate effect. This brings us to a very powerful observation, that when one is successful and has different associations that are always under public scrutiny, it’s a moral responsibility that person who has to own up in terms of his or her public behavior. Many a time, the personal behavior of celebrity ends up affecting the brand’s reputation as well. Brands pay a hefty amount to these celebrities for endorsing their products and services, but not every ambassador is able to live up to the mark.
Let us take a look at some past references when celebrities were dropped in lieu of their personal life issues, behavior and comments
Salman Khan
Pertaining to the court cases that Salman Khan was involved in, Thumbs-Up, the leading cola brand, dropped the actor from endorsements and went on to sign Ranveer Singh thereafter. Though Coca-Cola stated that Khan’s appearance in a television show sponsored by a rival brand was the reason the contract was not renewed, many believe that the media controversies surrounding Salman’s personal life were the main reason. Salman Khan’s show Big Boss was sponsored by Appy Fizz and this acted as a fuel in the already fumbling relationship.
Amir Khan
After his comments about the rising intolerance in India, the superstar was dropped from the Incredible India campaign. Though the endorsement was supposedly signed for 7 years, the brand ended the deal soon after the comment, midway. Amir Khan was also dropped from Snap Deal just within a year of being its brand ambassador.
MS. Dhoni
Well, in a case of reverse interests, Dhoni dropped out as the brand ambassador of Amprapali group after people started tagging him on social media regarding the issues faced with the builder over their Noida project. The numerous complaints from people forced Dhoni to take this stern step and end his association with the brand.
