EXCLUSIVE: Are Teresa Giudice’s Sponsors Abandoning A Sinking Ship?

The one-time untouchable Real Housewives of New Jersey star and convicted felon, Teresa Giudice fell off her pedestal when news broke of her shocking life of crime which spanned over years.

Teresa was on top of the world until it all came crashing down in July 2013 when the government knocked the queen bee off her throne with a 41-count felony indictment. She was stripped of many things including endorsement deals.

The impact of Teresa’s criminality has negatively affected her brand and businesses have begun withdrawing their sponsorship with stunning alacrity.

Jerel Sabella, CEO of Youthful8, The Milania Collection, started the groundswell when he released the following statement in August:

“This has been a surprising and shocking week for us. I will be meeting with Teresa within the next few days to better understand the impact the pending trial will have on her, her family and specifically our brand. Based on that discussion, we will determine the next steps for The Milania Collection and whether she is the right person to continue to endorse the brand.”

The company then followed up their statement by taking the bold action of adding their logo to the Milania packaging in an effort to minimize the name “Milania” on their products. The name “Milania” is a direct connection to Teresa being the name of third child.

Prior to the indictment, the products (The Milania Collection) did not contain the “Youthful8” logo. Then post indictment, supposedly, the company took an extreme measure to distance themselves from Teresa’s tainted image by adding their logo above the Milania label. The Milania label was reduced in size drastically and the “Youthful8” logo was prominently positioned in bold large font on the packaging. In addition,  Teresa’s image on the print ads have been removed.

Take a look at the before and after photos of the packaging below:

Teresa could wind up losing millions now that she’s a convicted felon. The “reality” of her situation is unlike that of any other misbehaving housewife. She pleaded guilty to a litany of serious felonies; wire fraud, mail fraud, loan application fraud and perjury. Teresa and her hubby, Joe Giudice admitted to stealing over $5 million from numerous banks. Their criminal escapades has prompted anger from fans of the show. Allegedly, citizens are rallying and reaching out to businesses that support her products in protest.

RELATED: Angry Costco Members Get Teresa Giudice’s Fabellini Signing Canceled At Costco

Just recently, Teresa Giudice was scheduled to do a Fabellini Bottle Signing at Costco in Clifton, New Jersey on March 28. The event was abruptly canceled by Costco’s management. This action came as a direct result of that outraged citizens group, who took a stand for justice by reporting their deep dismay and objections to having a convicted felon promoting products at Costco. Since then all mentions of future Fabellini Bottle Signings have been removed from Teresa’s Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts. In addition, her website use to contain a direct link to her Fabellini Instgram–a page dedicated to Fabellini Bottle Signing events.

Teresa Giudice is not the owner of Fabellini Wines, she was hired to endorse the product with the use of her name and image. Prior to the government indicting her, Teresa’s image and name was displayed on the bottle’s label. Post indictment, Fabellini promptly removed Teresa’s image and name.

Check out the before and after photos of the packaging below:

The last mention of any Fabellini event is a post made on March 1st on the Fabellini Wines Facebook page:

All About The Tea, spoke with a marketing executive who had the following to say:

“Companies have almost no choice (in this case) to back away from a celebrity whose image has been tainted. In the endorsement world, a lot of times, perception is reality.”

Teresa has ruined her ability to be a mainstream endorser. Companies do not want a convicted felon representing their brand. The “awareness” she brings is negative press. With her July 8th sentencing on the horizon, prison time is an option and her Bravo paycheck and book deals will dry up and dissipate since she won’t be able to film behind bars!

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