Big B, there is nothing official about it!

Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan recently told an IIM student how he had stopped endorsing Pepsi.  It was a stimulating anecdote about a small girl in Jaipur who had asked him why he was promoting a fizzy drink that her teacher called “poison.” The little schoolgirl educating the tall hero and the latter accepting and acting upon it is commendable (Ref: "Big B's 'poison' dart leaves Pepsi cringing", Economic Times dated 03/02/2014).

The Big B had executed an 8-year contract with Pepsi for endorsing its product for a total consideration of Rs.24 crore (@ Rs.3 crores per annum), and the contract has been completed since.  It sounds funny that after milking Pepsi for so many years, enlightenment suddenly dawned upon the boss! If your principles have changed, that’s okay. However, how did you choose to bite the hand that fed you for such a long time?  If you had snapped the agreement during midway, your action would have merited value, but castigating the brand at the conclusion of the contract period is unprofessional, isn’t it?

It all looks like a corollary.

If it is indeed a “poison,” what Big B did is socially ethical. And the next question arises, why did the government allow marketing of such “dubious” products that are harmful to public health?

Does the Big B feel guilty?  The legendary hero is squarely in a dilemma.  He can’t undo the past, but he can surely mend his ways.  Probably, and given the benefit of doubt, he has done that.

What is incredible is that AB is so naïve that some schoolgirl, somewhere, some day, has to tell him that a product is poisonous and that he believed her.  Curiously, here is an icon who hosted one of the brainiest quiz shows, the Kaun Banega Crorepathi (KBC) Show, who has to be told by a small girl that Pepsi was “poison.” 

Now that he has stopped endorsing the product, can we expect him to:--

(a) Refund the amount to Pepsi or fund at least part of the money for the rehabilitation of those harmed by consuming the noxious drink?  Of course, he cannot undo the damage he has caused, wittingly or unwittingly, to the brand.  Suddenly “brand ambassadorship” is in for a jolt.

(b ) Advise/influence other celebrities, his family members included, to follow suit?

Logically, you are not obliged to refund the money or fund it to charitable cause.  It is a personal choice.

Meditation Guru Baba Ramdev used to tell his yoga students that such products were only fit for “cleaning toilets.”  One need not be a nutritionist to appreciate that colas are toxic.   “Cigarette smoking is injurious to health” is only a small-sized font statutory warning that is displayed on every pack of the tobacco product.  Isn’t it downright hypocrisy?  If a product is harmful, how does the brand warrant a defence?  Will it (Pepsi) join the category of cigarettes, alcohol?  Pundits in the health & fitness space can be expected to predict that “such” drinks will carry warnings similar to the ones on cigarette packs.  Not Pepsi alone.  All cola brands are riding the same boat.

May be, AB has not endorsed tobacco products, but that cannot be a convincing reason to justify his signing the Pepsi contract.  The consequences of not knowing the truth of what they promote is alarming. Can it be interpreted that AB has endorsed “poison” for 8 years and can consequently be sued?    There is also a difference between endorsing a product like Pepsi and any other product like garments or footwear, as the former is a health hazard. Lots of care should be exercised while choosing the product one endorses.  It is not some fantasy concept but something concerned with health.

Big names from Bollywood and our sports fraternity, our cricket stars in particular, endorse one cola brand or the other.  Even the far richer names like Sachin Tendulkar, Shahrukh Khan, et al, continue to stamp their endorsements for the “controversial” cola.  It is a vicious cycle.  These are companies that promote sports and World Cups and other entertainment feats.  Can they be restrained?  It’s all about money, honey! 

Before I forget, have you ever seen Super Star Rajnikanth or Padma Shri Kamal Hassan do any brand advertising?  It is good the Super Star of the Millennium raised a poser on the Pepsi and its “poisonous” content.  At least, let us welcome their bid, going forward, to make informed decisions.  Big names like AB, before stamping their contractual obligations, must exercise due diligence and study the pros and cons of the product.   Forget for a moment Brand Pepsi; AB is a top brand himself whose image is in for a debate.  Yes, it does put AB in bad light. Yet, I appreciate him for showing the courage to speak out the truth.  Big B has a bigger responsibility.

Media selective

Why don’t the media dare discuss the earlier charges on the cola giants regarding “pesticide” as an ingredient of the beverage?  The ads and the revenues will be blocked?  Or have the honourable journalists been purchased?

Pepsi embarrassed

Pepsi is not embarrassed about selling a drink that is allegedly harmful; rather, they are more embarrassed about a public figure declaring the truth.  Stars endorsing brands never meant they actually used those brands. Gullible consumers buy what these stars only endorse.  Also, let’s wait and see if negative brand ambassadorship has any impact.

Education must change from mastering texts to questioning knowledge.  Congratulations to the young girl who made AB wiser.

Yes,  Dil Maange More.