Diana
Penty
has
signed
on
as
the
new
face
of
global
cosmetic
giant
Maybelline
replacing
Deepika
Padukone.
Penty
joins
the
ranks
of
international
supermodels
Adriana
Lima
and
Christy
Turlington
who
have
earlier
modelled
for
Maybelline.
Says
a
source
from
the
ad
world
explains,
"The
current
recession
has
hit
the
modelling
industry
too.
Companies
are
not
willing
to
pay
as
much
or
even
increase
the
endorsement
fees
of
celebrities.
Deepika
wanted
her
market
price
at
a
time
when
ad
agencies
are
opting
for
models
rather
than
celebrities
because
they
charge
much
less.
Ad
agencies
feel
that
half
the
celebs
are
not
worth
the
fees
they
charge
and
there's
not
much
recovery
of
money.
These
decisions
are
taken
based
on
sales
surveys.
If
after
a
star
endorsement,
the
sales
go
up,
the
company
sticks
to
their
celeb
if
not,
the
celebrity
is
dropped." Elite
Model
Management
handles
Diana's
endorsements
while
Atul
Kasbekar's
Bling
handles
Deepika's.
A
source
from
Bling
adds,
"Deepika
had
a
two-year
contract
with
Maybelline.
The
contract
expired
in
Jan
2008
and
wasn't
renewed,
as
the
amount
offered
was
not
commensurate
with
Deepika's
growing
brand
status.Besides,
after
her
transition
from
model
to
actor,
it
wasn't
possible
for
them
to
renew
the
contract.
Maybelline
in
India
as
brand
only
uses
models
as
their
ambassadors.
After
OSO,
she's
a
huge
celebrity
with
reputed
companies
vying
for
her
services." She
stresses
that
the
relations
between
Dippy
and
the
brand
continue
to
be
cordial.
Diana
Penty
says,
"It's
a
dream
come
true.
I'm
very
happy
modelling.
I
might
even
go
to
Paris
and
New
York
for
two
fashion
seasons
as
I
did
last
year."She
also
harbours
acting
aspirations,
like
Deepika.
"I
haven't
planned
on
getting
into
films
and
acting
but
if
something
exciting
comes
up
I
won't
say
no." She
has
modeled
for
Garnie.
Story first published: Thursday, December 4, 2008, 11:18 [IST]