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.