Page 44 - Seniors Today Dec 2019

Nicole Kidman and Etihad Airways: preoccupation with celebrities often moves from
the sublime to the ridiculous.
But Virat’s decision to move away from Pepsi
might instil a sense of responsibility in Indian
celebrities. As the Consumer Affairs Ministry
is looking at ways to tackle misleading ads
featuring celebrities, the Advertising Standards
Council of India (ASCI) has asked celebrities
to do the necessary due diligence of the claims
made in these ads. The advertising watchdog
has released a set of guidelines in a bid to
protect consumers’ interest and encourage
celebrities and advertisers to refrain from
endorsing misleading advertisements.
“Celebrity should do due diligence to ensure
that all description, claims and comparisons
made in the advertisements they appear in
or endorse are capable of being objectively
ascertained and capable of substantiation and
should not mislead or appear deceptive,” it said
in a statement.
But colas along with some other unhealthy
foods are likely to be hit. After all, didn’t Steve
Jobs remind us many decades ago that colas
were nothing but sugared water?

Nicole Kidman with her Etihad ad came under fire for, The move to make celebrities more accountable
perhaps unwittingly, endorsing an airline that “imposes is likely to make celebrity endorsement a risky
abusive labour practices on its female employees”
business in the future.
The Association of Professional Flight
Attendants released a statement criticising
the actress and UN Goodwill Ambassador for
Women for appearing in the commercials of an
airline that “imposes abusive labour practices
on its female employees”.
That was a most unexpected twist to what
seemed like an innocent endorsement for a new
airline brand.

Celebrity endorsements in India
The Indian marketers’ obsession with
celebrities is well known. it arises directly from
our fascination and obsession with Bollywood
and Cricket, the two hot buttons for marketers
in the country.
If an Indian marketer lacks an idea for his
brand, the easiest way to make up for the lack of Celebrities have become choosier - Amitabh Bachchan for
example stopped endorsing Pepsi after a schoolgirl asked
an idea is to have a celebrity. Or in other words why he was promoting a soft drink that her teacher had
the celebrity becomes the advertising idea. Our said was bad

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