Brands, endorsers rethink relationships

Consumer protection rules, tight advertising budgets are making brands wary of each other

A year ago it would have been impossible to scan through the papers or watch a video online without bumping into a movie star or a sports icon talking up a brand in an ad. Be it Ranveer Singh or Amitabh Bachchan or Virat Kohli, they endorsed everything from realty projects, face wash, noodles and sauces to mobile phones and laptops in 2016. A year down the line, there seems to be a chill in the air; new consumer protection rules seem imminent and companies are reconsidering the high cost of celebrity engagement, thereby cutting down the number of brands