Johnny Depp’s case is a little different, in that he was not chosen to represent the brand on how to have a successful marriage, but rather to convey individualism and ruggedness. On top of this, the court case was based on allegations, not fact, and the outcome was that Depp was not found guilty. In that circumstance the decision to retain Depp does make sense. In addition the brand probably stands to benefit from a substantial amount of publicity as a result of the case and also public curiosity on how they would respond.

My company is very conservative by nature so I imagine we would take it very seriously if an ambassador became controversial. It would absolutely depend on the context of the situation.  Any ambassador relationship neurocare has would likely be with a leading neuroscientist or researcher. This means the value they bring to the brand is in terms of their factual and ethical research. If a controversy around them as a person emerged (e.g. they had an affair) it would be undesirable, but not impossible to work through. However if the controversy in any way indicated that they were not an excellent and impartial researcher, or put their ability to deliver scientifically-evidenced research in question we would take action.

The extreme nature of Pete Evan’s posts caused alarm, concern for his mental health, and was the source of much derision and humour. The final straw was a post that supported a murderous totalitarian state. I was surprised at the time of the Nazi post because brands took too long to manage not only the damage that was being done to them in the lead up to this post, but also showed little consideration of the ambassador’s mental health. These brands for some time enjoyed the limelight with his extreme and controversial lifestyle hacks. But the writing was on the wall. This was a disaster waiting to happen in my view and he should have been pulled a lot sooner. 

In regard to Depp V Heard this is still a divided and controversial topic. However, as Depp has not been found guilty of domestic violence and Heard appeared an unreliable witness in the recent defamation case they have decided to keep him. Dior have taken a stand to support Depp and may well consider that in the future, even if he actively breaks the law, or is found guilty of these or further allegations, the public may well experience amnesia on the issue anyhow. Also, as the Dior brand has high brand equity it could outlive any further negative sentiment. I’m sure there is already an exit strategy standing by though, just in case.