Split-and-tell hits John, Bips brands

Bipasha Basu and John Abraham

Mumbai, July 25: Bipasha Basu and John Abraham seem to have fallen off the list of most-wanted brand endorsers following their public revelations after their split.

“Now media planners across the board are advising companies against using them, not just as a couple but even as individuals,” said an official from the media planning arm of a giant multinational advertising company. Ironically, John had begun his career with a media planning firm.

John is now banking on his own production house to make commercials but the strategy doesn’t seem to be working to the advantage of John the brand ambassador personally.

So far, none of the commercials that John’s JA Entertainment has produced has featured him, unlike Shah Rukh Khan who features in almost all the ads produced by his company Red Chillies.

Among the few ads that have rolled off John’s stable, only one — Priyanka Chopra’s Nikon camera commercial — has caught attention.

Bipasha’s and John’s fortunes did not fall immediately after the duo revealed their split in April, but they were put on the watch list. Bips had then even said she had no problems featuring in endorsements with John as a couple.

But with Bipasha later tweeting that the split actually happened a year before the announcement, brands were left fuming.

“We were peeved that they had not kept us in the loop. It was unprofessional, as a lot of money was riding on them as brand ambassadors,” said a top ad-man.

A source in a top celebrity management firm, who has worked with the two, said: “At the time of the announcement of their split around April-May, at least four brands were negotiating with them to endorse their products as a couple. But John decided to go solo and began negotiating with those to whom he was already committed to do brand endorsements. He cited date issues and was keen on a solution that would help him avoid shooting with Bipasha.”

Of the four, only Wella Kolestint went ahead and shot a hair-colour ad with Bipasha and John although it did not generate much interest. But most brands decided to wait and watch before signing the duo on even as individuals.

Besides, Bipasha was losing currency also because of the Amar Singh tape controversy.

“They are carrying too much baggage and even their break-up did not evoke as much public curiosity or attention as, say, the Ranbir-Deepika split did,” said the ad-man.

John’s image has taken a severe beating among media planners after he acknowledged on a recent TV chat show that his relationship with Bipasha had broken down because he was not ready to commit to marriage.

“I don’t know who advised him on that bit, or whether it was an emotional purging. Either way, it did not work in his favour. In our view, his market value will take a huge hit with female audiences because of this statement,” said the marketing head of a cola brand.

“Unlike Ranbir, who never acknowledged why his relationship with Deepika broke up, John’s cathartic tell-all seems very un-cool,” he added.

Industry insiders say that when Versace watches drafted Bipasha earlier this year, she had promoted it at events using John’s name. There was an initial understanding that John too would be brought in at some stage, but then the news of their split started emerging and the plans were dropped.

Ditto for Kwality dairy product Livllite Pure ghee, which the duo were initially supposed to endorse together. Eventually, John stepped back and the brand went ahead with Bipasha as its ambassador.