Starting May 1, one of the UAE’s most recognised homegrown brands is parting ways with its celebrity face. Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who has fronted fashion retailer Splash’s campaigns since 2013, will no longer be the face of the brand as the company changes its marketing strategy.
“It’s been an amazing journey and an honour to work with Salman. Our contract was for three years and he more than honoured it,” says CEO Raza Beig. “When we brought him in, he embodied everything that our brand stood for and the mass appeal. But he’s got his own brand and we also thought we’d like to take a different route this time.”
Khan’s apparel brand Being Human, attached to his charity of the same name, is retailed by Splash. That will continue to be “part of the family”, says Beig.
“It is one of our best-selling brands and very important in our business portfolio. So that’s not going anywhere,” he says.
Beig, who refers to Khan as a close family friend, has stood by the star through thick and thin, including during Khan’s conviction last year, and eventual acquittal, for a hit-and-run case in Mumbai, which killed one person. Beig faced flak for his continued support of the star.
“My heart breaks to find out Salman’s verdict,” he told Gulf News tabloid!. “They say, all great men in history have gone through struggle to achieve new heights in life. Probably this is his calling, not sure if he deserves it. But no one can go against Allah’s will and probably that’s [Allah’s] will.”
In December last year, Khan was acquitted of all charges from the case due to lack of evidence.
“We have supported him with those times and I took a very strong stand. There are certain values which he has, which very few people have… the giving nature, the mass appeal…,” he says. “I guess we can’t please everybody.”
The new Splash campaign will run under the theme ‘Love Unites’ with a special focus on diversity, says the CEO.
“We want to target multicultural consumers and the campaign we’ve shot, with models from different ethnicities represents that. With everything that’s happening in the world right now, we want to send out the message that fashion unites.”
Shot by long-time Splash collaborator Tejal Patni, the campaign will be launched on different platforms starting today.
Splash now operates 220 stores across the GCC and even India and Pakistan. Headquartered in Dubai, it is one of the region’s largest fashion retailers and is part of the Landmark Group. The brand is known for its bi-annual fashion shows in Dubai and its yearly calendar launches.
“Over the years, we have lived on the philosophy that whatever done with love lasts forever. Our latest campaign is just an extension of that,” says CEO Beig.
