Afia’s brand will suffer if 'marriage saga' is not managed - Lecturer

The brand of embattled comedienne, Afia Schwarzenegger, will suffer if her scandalous news is not well-managed, a lecturer and business coach, Mr Andrews Ayiku, has said.

The radio and TV personality has been trending for days in the Ghanaian space after a video of her allegedly cheating on her husband went viral on social media.

The video recorded by her husband, Mr Lawrence Abrokwa, has been circulating on social media with Afia herself encouraging Ghanaians to widely circulate it.

But speaking about how the saga could affect Afia’s businesses, Mr Ayiku said, if not well-managed, brands will stay away from her.

“Afia Schwarzenegger is a celebrity and people look up to her and see her always on television and social media so whatever she says carries weight and she has followers. So what has happened will affect her brand image. In marketing, it is called celebrity endorsement. It will affect her advertising campaign, marketing strategy and everything she has marketed will generally be affected,” he told Bismark Boachie (DJ Premier), host of Entertainment Capital on Accra100.5FM.

“If her saga is not well-managed, it will affect all her business relationships including her place of work. These companies will say if we don’t stay away from her, it will affect our brand. For instance, Tiger Woods’ downfall can be attributed to a similar scandal... so those are the negative effects that celebrities like Afia can have. She is miscommunicating her brand herself. When her name is mentioned, what will people associate it with? Will it be about what she does on radio, TV or the leaked tape?” he quizzed.

According to Mr Ayiku, studies have shown all over the world that companies pull away from celebrities caught in scandalous acts. “What is happening is not helping her brand at all and her businesses,” he reiterated.

Talking about how Afia Schwarzenegger can manage the situation, Mr Ayiku suggested that: “She has to apologise or come out to tell what transpired and we all move on. But the back and forth will rather create a bad image. Right now she is becoming a bad product in the minds of consumers and it’s against her reputation and businesswise, it will affect her. She should either keep quiet or issue a statement so we can move on.”