Will Salman Khan's 'Being Human' be able to survive the hit-and-run case?

There is a mood of celebration outside Galaxy Apartments, actor Salman Khan's home in the Bandra suburb of Mumbai, as his fans go hysterical over the postponement of his sentence in the 2002 hit and run case. However, if Khan were to be sentenced eventually, will his Rs 170-crore lifestyle brand, Being Human, get impacted? Will his fans continue to support Being Human as passionately as they do now?

Shares of Mandhana Industries, which manufactures and retails the Being Human brand, fell by close to 5 per cent the day the news of Khan being guilty broke out. Manish Mandhana, Managing Director of Mandhana Industries, however, claims that sales of Being Human have actually gone up by 15 per cent ever since the news broke. "His fans are buying more to express their support to Khan," Mandhana told Business Today. "Our plans of growing the brand will not take a back seat."

With the case taking innumerable twists and turns by the hour, the question remains whether Khan's fans will continue their support if Khan is finally sentenced.

Celebrity brands, especially when there is a criminal charge against the celebrity, have always crumbled.

Take the case of golfer Tiger Woods, whose involvement in a sex scandal a few years ago completely derailed his brand power. Brands such as Accenture and Gatorade, which got him on board after shelling out millions, severed ties with him almost overnight.

Khan himself is riding on endorsement deals worth Rs 50 crore.

Ashish Mishra, Managing Director of brand valuation company Interbrand India, expects a negative rub off. "If we see the brand value as the composite of the financial performance, the role it plays in decision making and the strength it has, there is a reason to believe that the value of 'Being Human' as a brand will get impacted negatively. Even if you look purely at the key Brand strength factors, it's easy to see a decline in areas like authenticity and presence."

In the case of Being Human, the basic premise of the brand is caring, sharing and altruism that makes the brand sound authentic and genuine.

"If he is convicted on the grounds of insensitivity, the 'human' element within the authenticity will suffer. Likewise, presence as a brand strength factor was immensely helped by the actor's omnipresence. If that gets impacted adversely due to the term of conviction, it is likely to negatively impact brand value too," explains Mishra.

Manish Porwal, Managing Director of talent solutions company Alchemist, agrees with Mishra. He says that both from a tactical and long term sales perspective, it will be advisable for Khan to distance himself from Being Human for a while. "Or else, the entire brand portfolio could get wiped out."

However, a section of marketeers who also seem to be diehard Khan fans disagree.

One can't compare Salman Khan with Tiger Woods, says the former CEO of a leading talent management company. "Woods got involved in a sex scandal, unlike Salman, which is a clear case of an accident. Everyone knows the kind of social causes he has been supporting throughout. Both Salman and Being Human will come out stronger," he says.