Akshay Kumar, a 54 year old fitness freak celebrity, associated himself with Vimal, a tobacco brand through indirect advertisement and got into controversy. A celebrity who wakes up at 4 am before the 3/4th Mumbai wakes, eats a healthy diet and exercises daily disheartened his million fan base with his Vimal ad.
It was 16th April 2022 when this Vimal TVC ad was aired along with Shahrukh Khan & Ajay Devgan that affected millions of people heart and trolled as they were doing indirect advertisements of tobacco brand, Vimal.
Controversy:
His fan base got disappointed after this TVC. As in one of his interviews, he mentioned that he was against such practices and didn’t like the way influencers were indulging themselves into such TVCs as they have huge influence on their fans.
He appeared in ads that showed his intentions against the Tobacco products and a message Smoking is injurious to Health.
Why did he collaborate with Vimal ad?
In reality, Akshay must have thought seriously about the consequences of his association. As he was doing an ad for Vimal for their sweetened Elaichi not the tobacco product, he must have believed that the audience wouldn’t mind. Generally, Akshay charges 8 to 10 crore per ad, and he would have charged more this time going for Vimal. But the audience response was completely off this time which impacted his brand image as well.
Akshay’s Apology:
Akshay Kumar wrote on 21st April on Instagram for his followers.
“I am sorry. I would like to apologise to you, all my fans and well-wishers. Your reaction over the past few days has deeply affected me. While I have not and will not endorse tobacco, I respect the outpouring of your feelings in light of my association with Vimal Elaichi. With all humility, I step back. I have decided to contribute the entire endorsement fee towards a worthy cause. The brand might continue airing the ads till the legal duration of the contract that is binding upon me, but I promise to be extremely mindful in making my future choices. In return I shall forever continue to ask for your love and wishes.”
His fans really liked the way he accepted his mistake and Akshay has pledged to donate his fee for the ad to a ‘worthy cause’ in return.
Conclusion:
When you have a fan base of millions based on your fitness lifestyle and then you associate yourself to such tobacco products through indirect advertisements, it harms your brand image. Celebrities should definitely see the consequences of their actions before indulging themselves into such TVCs like Akshay Kumar did.
Seriously actors should choose brands carefully.