Diabetes Firm Stands Behind Paula Deen; Should Orthopedics Co. Sever Ties With Oscar Pistorius?

UPDATE: Novo Nordisk is suspending its relationship with Paula Deen after feeling the weight of public pressure. 

Ever since Novo Nordisk made the somewhat questionable choice of celebrity chef Paula Deen as a spokeswoman, it has been no stranger to controversy.

After all, Deen was a diabetic even as she cooked up Southern fare with an extra dollop of sugar and fat on her Food Network show. She only revealed her condition once Novo Nordisk, the Danish diabetes drug and device maker, made her a paid spokeswoman.

Last week Deen was accused of being a racist—the apparently damning evidence comes from her own words. Novo Nordisk continues to stand by her—for now at least—though Food Network dropped her recently when her contract lapsed. Pork producer Smithfield Foods has also dropped Deen like a sack of potatoes. 

Which raises a similar question for another device company: Should Icelandic orthopedics firm Össur end its relationship with its controversial spokesman,Oscar Pistorius?

Pistorius is, of course, the South African paraplegic who shot to fame after becoming the first double amputee to compete in the Olympics in London in 2012. The media honeymoon took a sour turn when the photogenic star athlete became involved in a crime. He now stands accused of murdering his girlfriend in cold blood in his home this past February.

Össur is standing behind the star athlete—known as the "Blade Runner"—who dons the company's the Flex-Foot Cheetah carbon fiber prosthetics on both legs. The very day that news of the murder of Pistorius's model girlfriend spread, Össur put out a company statement that features prominently on the Web page showing Pistorius's relationship with the company. The statement, dated Feb. 14, reads like this:

It's no surprise that Össur is standing behind Pistorius presumably under the "innocent-until-proven-guilty" argument. The trial is scheduled to begin in September. If he is guilty, the relationship will undoubtedly end. And maybe then companies will understand there are some risks with celebrity endorsements.

As for the Deen saga at Novo Nordisk, we are in wait-and-watch mode. In the U.S., showing racial intolerance is a cardinal sin and likely more damaging to careers than being accused of a violent crime. 

-- By Arundhati Parmar, Senior Editor, MD+DI