AAMIR KHAN'S INTOLERANCE COMMENTS:

LIMITS TO CELEBRITY ENDORSERS PERSONAL

FREEDOM?
ABSTRACT
Snapdeal, endorsed by Aamir Khan (Aamir) faced criticism for Aamirs statement on intolerance.
Brand consultants debated should a brand suffer because of its brand ambassador and vice
versa. Where the difference between personal and public opinion is muddling in the era of
social media, experts remarked that the brands and its brand ambassadors should include stringent
clauses or go for water-tight endorsement contracts to protect themselves. While analysts agreed
that celebrities could land a successful brand in trouble with their personal comments or behavior,
they also opined that such incidents make little or no difference to consumer preferences for a
brand. Will the brand value/brand association of celebrities, such as Aamir, get affected with
such controversies? Are such brand ambassadors forfeiting their personal freedom as against
building business associations? Should celebrity brand endorsers not voice their personal opinion
once they endorse a product? Can celebrity endorsers be absolved for tainting the image of a
brand?

Pedagogical Objectives

To understand and examine the factors that made Aamir a strong brand and to understand
how brands build brand equity leveraging on secondary brand associations

To debate on the sources of brand equity, in the light of Aamirs brand performance after
the intolerance comments and brands resentment

To examine the after-effects of a crisis on a celebrity endorser and the brand equity, in the
light of Aamirs intolerance comments personal, professional and national effects

Case Positioning and Setting

This case study can be used for either of the following:

MBA Program Brand Management course Brands and Brand Management Chapter
To understand how a celebrity endorses a brand and creates customer value and customer
equity

MBA Program Brand Management course Leveraging Secondary Brand Associations

to Build Brand Equity Chapter To understand the role of celebrity endorsements in
enhancing brand equity and to demonstrate how brands build brand equity leveraging on
secondary brand associations
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