Wang Leehom Dropped By Infiniti, Readboy, Chow Tai Seng & Green Monday
The success of a celebrity is very much dependent on their public image. Those with a wholesome reputation will find brands fighting to be associated with them.
However, those revealed to have poorly behaved in private will suddenly find themselves going from hero to zero in a matter of hours.
That’s what singer Wang Leehom is going through now, with at least 4 brands ending their endorsement deals with him.
That’s after his wife made explosive revelations of his alleged infidelities.
Wang has had many endorsements
Till now, 45-year-old Wang had a virtuous image, thanks to his good looks and family man status.
He has 3 children with his wife Lee Jinglei, aged 3, 5 and 7.
Because of that, many companies have looked to him to be their brand ambassadors.
Virtuous image unravels
That all spectacularly unravelled shortly after Wang announced the end of his 8-year marriage.
That was apparently the signal for the newly freed Lee to issue a lengthy Instagram statement on Saturday (18 Dec) morning.
It contained allegations of her husband’s “multiple affairs” and “engaging prostitutes”.
The reaction over social media was swift.
Japanese car company first to drop him
Japanese car company Infiniti was the first to react, with a post on Weibo at 1.22am on Saturday (18 Dec)—barely 2 hours after his wife’s post.
They said they’d decided to terminate their partnership with Wang with immediate effect.
This decision must have been especially painful for Wang, given that the partnership was announced just a few days earlier.
On 16 Dec – 2 days before his wife’s allegations came to light – Wang happily announced the collaboration on his Weibo profile.
Sadly for him, it was a short-lived one.
3 more brands jettison him
Hot on the heels of Infiniti, Readboy (读书郎) – a Chinese manufacturer of e-learning products – posted on Weibo at 7.58am.
They said that they’d already ended their partnership with Wang.
At 9.53am, Chow Tai Seng (周大生珠宝) – a jewellery company – followed suit in jettisoning him via Weibo.
They confirmed that their contract with Wang had expired on 30 Nov and would not be renewed.
Finally, Wang had been a brand ambassador for Green Monday, a Hong Kong-based company that supplies plant-based products.
A cached photo of Wang from the Green Monday website
Source
However, in a short Weibo post at 1.19pm, Green Monday said they’d stopped all business collaborations with Wang.
This includes 2 of the brands under the company, Green Common and OMNI.
Wang seen at Beijing Airport
As for Wang himself, he’s so far remained silent over his wife’s allegations.
However, he was photographed in Beijing Airport on Saturday (18 Dec) morning, reported Sina Entertainment.
Wearing an all-black ensemble, he waved to the camera but didn’t stop to say anything.
Public perception matters for celebs
Though the allegations against Wang are serious, we should note that they are still unproven.
However, for celebrities, it seems that they’re guilty until proven innocent, as what really matters is public perception.
It remains to be seen whether more brands will cut ties with Wang and if he can find a way back into the public’s good graces.
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Featured image adapted from Lee Jinglei on Instagram and Sina Entertainment on Weibo.
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