How the Drug Mafia Allegation Impacted Bollywood Celebs & Brand Endrosement?

When the heartbreaking news of Sushant Singh Rajput's demise made waves, little did we know that investigating his case would unveil the darker side of the glamorous Bollywood. As the investigation got deeper the Bollywood industry came under the scanner that has brought the drug abuse to light bring in an array of celeb names for further investigation that include Deepika Padukone, Rakul Preet Singh, Shraddha Kapoor,  Sara Ali Khan, and other were summoned by the NCB in the drug case that had a link to Kedarnath actor's death case. 

Is Drug Mafia Allegted Celebs Career at Toss? 

The drug abuse allegation on Bollywood celebrities has not only tarnished their reputation but has taken a serious toll on their work front. According to a survey conducted on 487 respondents within the age group of 18-30 states that about 82 percent of youngsters have said that the drug abuse by celebrities has created untrustworthy and they would not buy any products endorsed by the celebrities involved in this case. However, 92 percent of respondents revealed that they were aware of the big names involved in the case. Also, 88 percent of respondents have stated that the brands that would use such celebrity endorsement might lose their credibility and they may stop trusting the brands anymore. 

 Dr. Sandeep Goyal, Chief Mentor, IIHB, who holds a Ph.D. from FMS-Delhi in studying celebrities said to a media during an interview,  “The drug abuse allegations could devastate the celebrity landscape,” he adds, “Drugs create a halo of negativity, by-and-large not condoned by society. What would be interesting is so to see how brand managers react. With 25 celebrities on the NCB list, a lot of reputations may get impacted.”

These survey numbers point out that these celebrities would not just have a huge blow on their career but have sabotaged their reputation in the longer run. Especially for celebs like Sara Ali Khan who has a plethora of brands in her pocket namely, Vivo, JBL, Fanta, Puma, Garnier, TBZ, Ceriz, Veet, Fiama amongst others. While Rakul Preet who charges high remunerations as compared to her contemporaries would encounter a serious blow. 

Advertisers are Restrained

On the other hand, the advertisers have decided to restrain using the brand endrosement featuring the celebraties who are involve in the drug absue case. It is also noted that the clients have began to insist the Advertising agencies to hold back the endrosement involving such stars. Instead, prefers celebrities who have a clean image to endrose their brands. 

Bollywood's Bane Turns Boon to Sports Stars

The drug mafia allegation on the popular Bollywood stars has certainly turned as a blessing in disguise for the sports celebs and social media influencers. As the drug abuse alleged celebs are facing bashes from the public which would definitely affect the brand's reputaion as well, thus, the advertising agencies and the leading brands would be taking a turn to opt for other famous faces to endrose their products. At this critical stage, the companies would have put a strict constriant on the advertising agencies to while signing the endrosement deal. Thus, this is the time the brand would turn towards sports stars and the social media influencers to promote their brands. 

Manish Porwal, MD, Alchemist Marketing & Talent Solutions, which has its celebrity division Auntourage, stated to a media in an interview, "Due to the pandemic, the celebrity brand endorsement space was already witnessing deterioration in terms of value. The latest drug allegations raise a question mark over the short to mid-term future of this space. In general, celebrity credibility is at an all-time low and for specific celebrities, the endorsement game would remain suspended for a long time.” 

He further added, "Brands associate with celebrities to gain from the positive rub-off of their image, recall and reputation. With such issues, top brands will become cautious and re-consider these associations. Deals which were in the pipeline will be redrawn. In the short- to mid-term, it will have an impact on the overall endorsement space and will accelerate the shift of brands towards social media influencers and sports people. These are tough times for Bollywod and actors." [Source: HinduBusinessLine]