Creative Block: If a celebrity is very strongly associated with a brand and the brand wants to change its image from that of the celebrity's it becomes very difficult for it to do so. Eg. Palmolive had strong associations with Kapil Dev and the line 'Palmolive ka jawaab nahi'. After Kapil Dev retired it could never come up with an equally memorable campaign.

High Ad Costs: Celebrities charge huge sums of money and sometimes they are not able to pull their weight to create an impact and make the commercials a success (for various reasons). These celebrities not only create a negative impact on the brand but also result in huge sunk costs for the company.

Success of Brand Dependant on Success of Celebrity: Since celebrities public personality is linked to the brand in the commercials, the impression of the brand is dependant on the success or failure of the celebrity. Eg: Sachin's ad being shown after his wicket falls draws negative impressions about the brand. People start thinking that he is not performing because he spends more time modeling than practicing which affects the credibility of his pitch in the commercials for the brands he endorses.

Celebrities Overshadowing Brands: If a company lets a celebrity become its brand, it runs the risk of killing the brand. Once the hype and hoopla around the celebrity fades, the brand loses prominence. A classic example of the above is Dinesh Suitings, where Sunil Gavaskar, the brand spokesperson, was allowed to rule the brand, thus becoming bigger than it. Once the association ceased, the brand lost its identity.

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* Contributed by: -
Bikram Bindra & Kaushik Vijay. G,
Faculty of Management Studies,
University of Delhi, New Delhi.