Gillette drops Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya as brand ambassador

By

Maverick Martins

Published
Jan 17, 2019

Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya has been dropped by the multinational personal care brand Gillette as its brand ambassador following Pandya’s sexist remarks on a television show.

The cricketer was signed by the brand in November last year to endorse its latest razor Mach3 Start.
 
Pandya, along with his teammate K.L. Rahul has received huge criticism for his remarks on women on a popular Indian television talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’. Pandya’s remarks about women on the show have been labelled as sexist and misogynist.

“Hardik Pandya’s recent comments do not reflect the values of Gillette. We have suspended our association with Hardik until we decide on further course of action,” Times of India quoted a Gillette India spokesperson as saying.
 
Pandya’ strong performances on the field had won him a lot of endorsement deals last year. The cricketer currently endorses brands like Gulf Oil, D:FY, Eume Bags, Star India, and Sin Denim among others.
 
Pandya has been provisionally suspended by the BCCI (the governing body for cricket in India) after the incident which could further have an impact on his endorsement deals.
 
Many brands are expected to follow in the footsteps of Gillette and snap ties with the cricketer to safeguard the values and reputation of their brand.