With the pesticide controversy refusing to die down, PepsiCo India Holdings has decided to silence its critics by roping in scientists to endorse its products for a mass media campaign.
This is a change in stance from the strategies adopted by other entities, when mired in controversies.
For instance, Cadbury's had roped in Amitabh Bachchan to endorse the product during the worms infestation controversy. Similarly, the National Egg Coordination Committee had roped in Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty to promote chicken consumption during the outbreak of bird flu.
"This is a serious situation where we do not think it is right to use film stars to promote our brand. We will be using the services of well-known scientists to add credibility to our statements pertaining to the safety of the product," said Rajeev Bakshi, chairman, PepsiCo India.
The company plans to launch a full-fledged campaign soon. Bakshi, however, declined to divulge further details on the budget or the strategy, claiming that it was still in the conception stage.
However, once the controversy dies down, the company will fall back on the cine stars to promote its products.
"Pepsi is a fun brand. We, therefore, need to associate it with film stars," said Bakshi.
Some of the stars who have been associated with the brand include Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra.
With regard to the effect that the controversy has had on the business of PepsiCo, Bakshi said the sales in the last ten days had been "little soft" and it would hurt their image if the controversy runs for a long period.
