Brands on the firing line

What lies behind the concern among endorsers over brands they promote and how will it impact both?

Colas, fairness creams, alcohol, cigarettes are increasingly finding themselves on the blacklists of a growing number of endorsers. Be it Virat Kohli’s recent announcement that he will think twice before putting his weight behind a brand he does not consume (read colas) or the backlash that actor Deepika Padukone faced on social media for her endorsement of Coke or the denouement of fairness creams by a group of actors, the brand-ambassador relationship is fraying at the edges. And marketers say, pushing the two to rethink their associations.
 
“As a part of our brand journey and the evolving consumer perceptions