In the wake of renewed allegations of rape, Diageo is looking to prevent Sean Combs, also known as P Diddy, from appearing in ads for their tequila brand DeLeon. The allegations stem from the 1994 rape of American rapper Tupac Shakur, who accused Combs of complicity in the incident. This renewed advocacy against the rapper follows an unsuccessful attempt to prevent him from appearing in DeLeon’s ad campaign in 2019 due to his alleged involvement in the attack.
Diageo, who is the parent company of DeLeon, stated in a press release that “in light of the new evidence that has been presented by the high-profile accuser in the case, we are again re-evaluating our advertising relationship with Mr. Combs.” Combs, who has never been charged with or convicted of any crime related to the incident, has consistently denied all claims of involvement. He has not yet commented on the recent actions taken by Diageo.
The current allegations against Combs are encouraging a publicity firestorm, and these events will undoubtedly be scrutinized even further in the following weeks. Diageo is clearly taking a stance against any possible form of association with anyone who could be a potential risk to their brand. Thus far, they have not revealed if they will completely dissolve their advertising partnership with Combs. If they do take this direction, it could be an expensive move for Diageo as Combs was heavily instrumental in driving sales for the tequila brand since he began endorsing it in 2019.
Ultimately, only time will tell where Diageo will stand in this situation. Although there is no longterm course of action that has been taken yet, this latest push certainly could have huge implications for the future of the advertising relationship between Combs and DeLeon. We will be watching this story as it develops.
