ETHICS AND ENDORSEMENTS

ETHICS AND ENDORSEMENTS

The other day my friend posted a message in our social media group that cricketers these days are making so much money through endorsements whereas the ones who belonged to yesteryears and were equally talented, if not more, were leading a life of penury. I dismissed him saying that they are making use of the opportunities available and the others should not be jealous. Having said the same, it triggered me into thinking whether they are making the money in an ethical way.

It is a matter of common knowledge that our country is full of ‘Hero Worshippers’ and could easily be influenced. The significance of “Fan Following” differs from region to region and the type of celebrities commanding the following are also different. By far, it has been observed that Movie Stars and Sports Personalities command a following much greater than other celebrities.

How can the companies pay such a huge amount of money to these celebrities for appearing in a commercial that runs for not more than twenty seconds? It clearly indicates that the companies must be making much more profit, probably several times, due to the increased sale as a result of the endorsements.

Endorsement by definition is “vouching for the authenticity” of certain claims. Based on the definition, the endorser is certifying that the claims made in the ad are true. For a common man, what other certificate is required than his hero’s confirmation?

While there are many laws against cheating, there seem to be very few against sponsoring claims that are not verified by the endorser. Cases relating to such matters are considered based on the impact that the products could have on the health and lifestyles of the people. A particular ad on a specific brand of noodle featuring three prominent stars had to be withdrawn due to the litigation against its ill effects. I have still not heard of any action on the three celebrities. The laws do exist on the code of ethics but are confined to the employees of the government.

In many other countries, consumer products are endorsed not by celebrities but by models who are not movie stars or sports personalities. In fact, some of the famous personalities have shunned to appear with junk foods carrying some brand names. Hats off to them. It shows that either the personalities really hate such products or are concerned about the ill effects of being seen with such products. It was also mentioned that one of the personalities stopped the ads featuring him consuming a mouth freshener. There are other celebrities continuing to sponsor similar products shamelessly.

We will now come to the case where the purchase or the consumption of the endorsed product has no ill effects on the self or the family. The celebrities generally take adequate care to ensure that the products endorsed by them are not bad in quality, if not the best amongst their peers. Nine out of ten ads that we see feature a celebrity endorsing a product that he has never used in his life, let alone using it regularly. There does not seem to be any law against it or being planned to be enacted. This actually means that the people are being cheated by these celebrities into believing that they normally use the said product and are satisfied with the same.

While the law in the country can interfere with the religious freedom and regulations practiced by their places of worship, it does not think it is their job to prevent the exploitation of the gullible “Hero Worshippers”. Will there be any laws enacted in the future for ETHICS IN ENDORSEMENTS?