Here Is Why Virat Kohli Chose To Dump Pepsi?
It might have been big money for me. It might have been a very lucrative deal but I opted out. We need to have some thought behind the products we promote. We must understand that people trust us
Photo Credit : PTI,
Sculpted body, chiselled cheekbone and groomed stubble, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli looks fittest, by far.
It is not just that he follows the healthiest lifestyle but he also swears not to promote the product that does not stand at par with his own fitness benchmarks. During an exclusive interview with BW Businessworld, Kohli for the first time opened up about dumping cola behemoth, Pepsi.
"I want to give something to people that I use, myself. The one of the reasons, I decided not to sign Pepsi is that I have undergone lifestyle change. And, I am not using that product anymore," Kohli said.
He further added that the deal might have been big money but he stood for his belief. "It might have been big money for me. It might have been a very lucrative deal but I opted out. We need to have some thought behind the products we promote. We must understand that people trust us."
In June, Kohli hinted at ending his association with Pepsi because the carbonated soft drink does not align with his fitness and diet mantra. "We are actually on the cusp of making some big changes on that front. Things that I've endorsed in the past, I won't take names, but something that I feel I don't connect to anymore. If I myself won't consume such things, I won't urge others to consume it, just because I am getting money out of it," Kohli told CNN-IBN.
After dropping Pepsi out of his bouquet of brand endorsement deals, Kohli joined Pullela Gopi Chand, the former badminton great, who had long ago decided not to endorse carbonated soft drinks owing to their deleterious health effects. Multiple studies have shown the harmful effects fizzy drinks can have on the body.
His stance provides a powerful example to the ongoing debate on moral responsibility of celebrity endorsers about the safety and efficacy of the product. There have been other products- for instance, fairness creams-which have drawn such a response from a few celebrities.
There have also been cases where celebrities have been blamed when the brand they promote defaulted or failed at some parameters. Sample this: Former skipper of team India, M.S. Dhoni was blamed because Amrapali Group, a Noida-based builder, had allegedly not met the promises it had made to home-buyers.
Taking cognisance of such matters, a parliamentary standing committee had last year recommended a fine of up to Rs 50 lakh and a jail term of up to five years in order to hold celebrities accountable for the brands they endorse. However, the decision has not been finalised.