(Jamaica Gleaner) A day after dancehall star Busy Signal was taken into custody on an extradition warrant, a senior representative of Pepsi-Cola Jamaica Limited has revealed the company has taken steps to review its relationship with the artiste.
While the company has not taken an official position on the issue, Pepsi head of marketing, Carlo Redwood, noted that since his arrest, it has stopped running Pepsi Bubbla advertisements featuring the embattled entertainer.
“We have stopped running the ads until we get a clear understanding of what is the situation with the artiste,” Redwood explained.
He added: “Obviously, we have to kind of understand what the situation is before we decide what’s our next step in terms of the advertising that we have.”
Redwood, however, declined to comment further, saying the company had not yet formulated an official position on the issue.
Busy Signal, whose real name is Glendale Gordon, came to prominence with the 2005 hit song Step Out and has also been featured in several ads for Red Label Wine.
However, attempts to get a comment from J. Wray and Nephew Limited, the brewers of Red Label Wine, on the status of that ad campaign were unsuccessful.
A growing number of dancehall artistes are being contracted by Jamaican companies to promote their products, despite numerous run-ins with the law.
Telecommunications company LIME has partnered with dancehall heavyweights Mavado, Beenie Man, Bounty Killer, and Elephant Man to carry their message, while its chief rival, Digicel, has turned to new sensations I-Octane and Tifa to serve as “brand ambassadors”.
