Brand on brink of collapse
ANT and Dec’s huge television empire could be on the verge of collapsing as it has been rocked by this latest scandal.
Brand expert Marcel Knobil said the pair were almost untouchable, but their trademark family-friendly appeal could be permanently damaged by Ant’s news run-in with the law.
He added: “They are such a resilient brand and that has been demonstrated by the fact that it wasn’t too badly damaged by his previous troubles.
“But a brand has a breaking point and this could be it.
“It’s very important to recognise that it’s only the most popular celebrities that are forgiven and that’s what he is.
“He has been forgiven to date but this really does up the volume.”
And Ant’s behaviour no longer reflected the family-friendly British values the pair had built their fortunes and success on, Marcel said.
He added: “Their values are about decency and this latest incident undermines that.”
Marcel said Dec now faced major decisions about their future, with few individual celebs from major groups or duos ever making it to the same dizzying heights.
He added: “It puts him in an agonising situation. A brand has been created, a magnificent brand, made of two ingredients.
“I would expect he’s been desperate to rescue the brand. The Ant and Dec brand. But he will be concerned.
“Two together make a much more powerful offering than two separate.
“It’s like having Marks without the Spencer.”