It is indeed a brand’s smart move to rope in popular celebrities for endorsements. Their fan following is automatically redirected to the purchasing of the products they advertise. And this becomes the primary reason why celebrities have to be mindful before signing up for anything because literally no one is spared from the wrath of netizens when things turn ugly.
Amidst many celebrities who were chastised for becoming the face of problematic brands, there have been a few who had the guts to own up and apologise. Read on and find out.
1. Akshay Kumar
In a recent occurrence, after being trolled and facing a lot of outrage for endorsing paan masala, Akshay Kumar took to the internet to apologise and promise to make more thoughtful choices in the future.
2. Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone was a brand ambassador for a cola drink in addition to endorsing a fairness cream. The actress, however, distanced herself from these brands and became very picky about which ones she promotes.
3. Amitabh Bachchan
Even Amitabh Bachchan wasn’t spared from facing heavy flak for appearing in a paan masala brand advertisement. So he dropped out of the ad campaign for the brand and claimed to have returned the money he was paid to promote it.
4. Ranveer Singh
5. Pierce Brosnan
Following his appearance in a surrogate advertising for Pan Bahar, a pan masala brand, Hollywood actor Pierce Brosnan claimed that the company “cheated” him by keeping him in the dark about the product’s “hazardous” nature. He also signed a written agreement that he will never assist any company in the future in the promotion of such products or other harmful products.
Sometimes stepping back is the only right thing to do.