As the Maggi controversy escalates, the role of celebrity endorsement has come up for an urgent review. Brands globally hire celebrity brand ambassadors to push sales and make a statement about the product and the promoter. At the core of it, this is a business transaction whereby celebrities of all hues see brands as a viable business model to shore up their incomes as also remain in circulation. Brands embrace celebrities not for life but for limited purposes and shelf life depends upon customer feedback and return on investment. Nothing wrong in all this except that celebrity endorsement comes today with little or no accountability. It is high time to review the arrangement and enforce accountability. The onus is on both promoters of brands who foot the bill to host celebrities. Complete disclosure is in order with no running away from ownership.
140wordz 