Celebs caught in controversies owing to their endorsement deals

From Shah Rukh Khan to Dhoni and Brett Lee to Yami Gautam, they all had to bear brunt of their endorsement deals in the country

From Katrina Kaif advertising hair removal cream Veet to Pierce Brosnan adorning signboard with Paan Bahar, advertisers have long loved using celebrities to endorse brands across the globe. Who can forget Priyanka Chopra's self-deprecating monologue 'Acchai ki ek alag chamak'? Or Kapil Dev's famous line "Boost is the secret of my energy".

Celebrities bring glamour to the advertisement, thereby reducing half of the marketing work for companies.

Touche' - celebrity endorsements can harvest rewards for companies and their brands, but it comes at a heavy cost - for the corporates and the end victims - consumers.

Role of celebrities have always been debatable. Questions like "How can celebs be held responsible when a brand fails to keep its promise?" Or "Should celebs only enjoy the up side of the business?" have been raised time and again.

 

When brands fail to deliver what they proclaim, the brand ambassadors are scaled for justice. To curb dishonest brand endorsements, China drafted a law according to which celebrities who endorse products have to try them before presenting them to the public.

If such a law were to be implemented in India, it's difficult to say whether Yami Gautam or Shah Rukh Khan would have endorsed Fair & Lovely and Fair & Handsome, respectively. Or for that matter - it seems highly unlikely Pierce Brosnan a.k.a James Bond would endorse Paan Bahar.

Considering the recent uproar over misleading advertisements by celebrities, a team of ministers headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday is believed to have reached a decision that celebs could face an endorsement ban up to three years for appearing in ‘misleading’ advertisements. The penal provision will go up for repeated offence.

Here are some Indian and international celebrities who have been caught in controversies due to their endorsements

1. Brett Lee - Pearls Group

Australian speedster Brett Lee became brand ambassador for Pearls Group in 2010.This February, his came under the scanner. The company has allegedly duped thousands of investors by siphoning off funds to bankroll some companies in Australia.

2. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan - Kalyan Jewellers

Bollywood beauty was recently berated for a racist ad by Kalyan Jewellers. The poster advert of Aishwarya showed her reclining queen-style while an undernourished dark skinned child held an umbrella over her head. The advert called out references to the British Raj and the racist treatment meted out to rural Indians and dark skinned nationals. It was eventually called off.

3. Madhuri Dixit - Maggi

Most people will remember this much hyped controversy. Madhuri Dixit, along with Amitabh Bachchan and Preity Zinta,ere served PILs for endorsing Maggi noodles.

4. Yami Gautam - Fair and Lovely

Ever since the advent of Twitter, Yami Gautam has not been spared for her ending association with Fair and Lovely. She has constantly been trolled and ridiculed about her fairness.

5. Amitabh Bachchan - Kacha Mango Bite

While Kacha Mango Bite sweets became an instant hit, Big B got in hot water over the commercial which shows him hurling stones at a mango tree.

6. Amitabh Bachchan - Pepsi

This time it was a Jaipur girl's comments that pricked his conscience and compelled him to end his association with Pepsi. 

According to Amitabh, a schoolgirl had asked him why he chose to endorse a product that her parents and teachers labelled as “poison”.

7. Mahendra Singh Dhoni - Amrapali

India's skipper Dhoni was forced to step down as the brand ambassador of real estate firm Amrapali after homebuyers trolled him on Twitter about the delay in completion of the housing project.

8. Genelia D'Souza - Anjaniputra Infrastructure

Genelia D'Souza was the brand ambassador of the real estate company, which got caught in a land scam in Hyderabad. She was slapped with a legal notice for duping the buyers.

9. Shah Rukh Khan - Fair & Handsome

Shah Rukh Khan came under fire for endorsing a skin lightening cream product a couple of years ago. It led to an online campaign titled Dark and Beautiful which urged not only the star but also the brand to stop promoting and encouraging fairness creams. But Khan still promotes the brand.

10. Rachael Ray - Dunkin’ Donuts

In a bizarre case, American television personality and chef Rachael Ray appeared in an advertisement to promote Dunkin’ Donuts' iced coffee in 2008. In the ad she was dressed in a black and white scarf with a fringe. However some bloggers thought it was a garment worn in the Arab countries and one went on to the extent of calling Ray - “a jihadi chic". This created a lot of controversy and the company was forced to give a statement to clear it all.

11. Pooja Bedi - Kamasutra Condoms

Kamasutra's condom ad was considered ahead of its time. Pooja Bedi was slammed for doing the advert.

12. Katrina Kaif - Veet

Katrina Kaif has been severely criticised in Pakistan for her association with Veet. While India remains unfazed, Pakistanis slammed her for nudity. Kaif has been the face of this product for almost a decade now.