Nichkhun has taken a time off since July as he got involved in a DUI accident. Once a star is exposed to public criticism, first and foremost, that start is cut off from commercial advertisements. However, that did not happen to Nichkhun who gets the biggest amount of commercial advertising deals among 2PM members. That is a special case.
When Kang Hodong got involved in a tax controversy, even after the temporary retirement announcement the famous Igatan drug commercial kept on being broadcast, however that was an exceptional case. No matter how much the advertisers like their product model, in case of censure or public criticism, the star is immediately cut off from the deal in fear that the tainted image would somehow be connected to the image of the product. That is so, because they cannot rule out the possibility of going into a minus despite spending money on advertising.
Nichkhun’s advertisement deals were not cut off even after he attracted public criticism back in July. Even though it was a very sensitive matter, it is said that not a single company, that uses Nichkhun as its product model, was swayed by what happened. On the contrary – it has been reported that some companies were in discussion to extend their contracts with Nichkhun, and there were even proposals for additional contracts as well.
Of course, it would be too drastic to say that the public completely forgave Nichkhun for what happened since he was not cut out from the commercials. However, the fact that Nichkhun didn’t even receive as much as a rebuke (?) from the advertising industry, when he committed a personal mistake, shows that his overall image management before the accident has been carried out very well.
Nichkhun had an image of a cute and handsome young man (“nuna’s romance”) who quite unexpectedly had a mature and relaxed character, and inspite of being a foreign star, he didn’t receive an exclusive attention from the public (T/N: the writer means to say that Nichkhun didn’t get a special treatment and was treated like other Korean celebrities).
Previous sponsorhips and donations for the needy also had their own share in building a good image. On the 5th of October Nichkhun left to Tanzania as a member of the MBS’s KOICA Dream group, and that also doesn’t deviate far from his usual image. Nichkhun is scheduled to return on the 21st of October after having lived in the same conditions as the local inhabitants of the Saninga Island for 15 days, helping people who live without water and electricity.
Nichkhun’s agency JYP Entertainment has released a press statement that after the volunteer work in Tanzania, Nichkhun is scheduled to resume his scheduled activities immediately. Therefore, it seems that we will be able to see Nichkhun again in November.
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Source: m.heraldbiz