After six weeks of trial, Johnny Depp finally won the defamation lawsuit against his ex-wife Amber Heard last week. The court ruled in favor of Johnny Depp, and Amber Heard, the losing party, will have to pay $10.35 million in compensatory and punitive damages to her ex-husband. Johnny Depp, who has finally cleared his name, stated in a post that the truth never dies – Veritas Numquam Perit, and his fans worldwide have shown their gratitude by not abandoning their idol, Dior!
Although it is known that the relationship between brands and spokespersons is not only based on the star power of celebrities, their own image is also a key factor. In the past, many top celebrities have had their contracts terminated immediately by advertisers once they get into legal trouble, in order to avoid affecting the brand’s reputation. Mainland Chinese star Kris Wu, who once had access to top fashion resources, is a prime example. Of course, Johnny Depp’s status and the accusations he faces cannot be compared to Kris Wu, but when faced with the initial outbreak of domestic violence allegations, Johnny Depp also faced being cut off by different brands and partners, except for Dior.
Johnny Depp has been the ambassador for Dior’s Sauvage perfume since 2015. Despite facing various controversies with their long-time partner, the brand chose to fully support and trust him. Not only did the brand not pull the Sauvage ad featuring Johnny Depp, but they also decided to stand by him from the start of the legal battle in 2016. Last year, they even released the Sauvage Elixir ad featuring Johnny, showing unwavering support for their brand friend.
Now that Johnny Depp has been vindicated, it has produced an unexpected effect. According to the foreign media wwd, since the defamation trial began, the popularity of the Dior Sauvage perfume endorsed by Johnny Depp has skyrocketed by 48% in Google searches. Dior Sauvage has also become the most viewed perfume advertisement on TikTok, with a total of 209 million views. In addition to being highly searched by netizens and Johnny Depp fans, it is reported that this has also stimulated the sales of Sauvage perfume. In this century-long lawsuit, it seems that the winners are not only Johnny Depp and his legal team, but even Dior, who has always stood by him, has received an unexpected small reward.
