Chung, returning to the spotlight after she was dragged into last year’s Edison Chen sex scandal, agreed to endorse Tough jeans. The move certainly guaranteed publicity - but the question for brands is whether employing such fallen idols is a risk worth taking.
Chung, half of the Cantopop duo Twins, lost a series of endorsements following the Chen scandal, including her role as a spokesperson for Disneyland and adidas. Chen himself was dropped by Pepsi, Standard Chartered Bank’s Manhattan Titanium Card and Samsung in Hong Kong.
Wong Yui-lam, chief executive of Bauhaus International, said he chose Chung because her spirit of never admitting defeat matched the brand theme ‘Be tough’.
Richard Thomas, president and CEO at DDB Hong Kong, calls Bauhaus’ decision “an interesting and brave choice”. He adds: “For Bauhaus she represents strength and courage and perhaps even a little bit of a sassiness that was not apparent 12 months ago.”
The case is reminiscent of what happened with British supermodel Kate Moss. After a UK newspaper ran pictures of Moss snorting cocaine, she was dropped by H&M, Chanel and Burberry, with the H&M contract costing her nearly US$6 million. However, she continued to appear in major ad campaigns for Dior and cosmetics brand Rimmel, which sought an ‘edgy’ image for itself and arguably benefited from the controversy.
However, one Hong Kong PR agency head expressed disappointment with Chung’s comeback, saying it has been “a wasted opportunity” for both brand and endorser.
“Representing Tough jeans I expected an edgier, ‘Britney Spears’ image appealing to an older audience. But it looks as if she may revert to an innocent appeal, and we all know now she definitely is not.”
As the Moss example showed, a spokesperson with a certain notoriety can help brands in areas such as fashion. But Thomas points out that Asia is still a very conservative market: “Celebrities prefer to be perceived as ‘squeaky clean’. Europe is much more forgiving.”
A case in point is Michael Phelps, who, under pressure from Mazda, had to apologise to Chinese fans following reports of drug use.
One attraction of fallen idols is that they can come cheap, especially at the beginning of their return to the limelight. According to Donald Chan, TBWA’s group CEO in China, brands interested in using fallen idols should assess how they have coped with the setback. “Mistakes and failures can be powerful and associated with overcoming struggles. We saw that with David Beckham who evolved after his fall from grace.”
Damien Coren, managing director of Leo Burnett’s Red Lounge Coca-Cola unit, agrees, pointing to the criticism heaped on athlete Liu Xiang after his Olympic pull-out. Coca-Cola has used the star’s struggles in overcoming his injury and his relationship with his father within its advertising.
A final factor for brands using fallen idols to consider is the power of the internet - especially in China, which has a vociferous and often vicious online commentariat. Stars that take on multiple endorsements are often labelled greedy in this environment.
Using any sort of controversial figure risks an online firestorm for a brand. Pushkar Sane, general manager of SMG IP Asia, argues that social media can amplify this sort of criticism for a brand. All a brand can do in response is argue its case. “A client can minimise the controversy by being honest and putting its side of the story out there,” he says. “Trying to block controversy doesn’t work - it makes the brand look guilty.”
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