'The first thing is to make an approximate calculation about how many people are actually offended by the content and then only move forward with a decision.'
Key Points
- GIVA withdrew its Rakshabandhan ad after the backlash over Kriti Sanon's outfit and the campaign concept.
- Kangana Ranaut criticised the ad while Kriti Sanon defended evolving ethnic fashion.
- GIVA apologised, saying hurting sentiments was never its intention.
- Advertising experts are divided on whether brands should withdraw or defend such campaigns.
Why GIVA Pulled Ad
Jewellery brand GIVA withdrew its Rakshabandhan advertisement on Wednesday, hours after a backlash over supposed hurt sentiments.
The ad featured actor Kriti Sanon in a Rakshabandhan campaign wearing an Indo-Western outfit consisting of a bralette-style blouse and a matching cape.
This did not go down well with certain sections.
On Tuesday, soon after the ad's release, actor and Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kangana Ranaut questioned the choice of clothing, termed it 'intentionally creepy'.
The ad also sparked a backlash over Sanon tying the rakhi to the pet dog.
Sanon responded to the criticiam saying that ethnic fashion has evolved. She added, 'When will we stop telling women what to wear?'
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and a few other political commentators came out in support of her.
GIVA, however, took the ad down.
'If our recent advertisement has inadvertently hurt the sentiments of some segments of society, that was not our intent at all.
'Out of respect, we have withdrawn the said advertisement from all media,' GIVA said in a statement on Wednesday morning.
In the past, similar controversies, especially around the festival season, have hit brands like Dabur, Tanishq, FabIndia and Surf Excel.
Some chose to withdraw their ads while others opted to stick with them.
Experts Debate Brand Decisions
GIVA's response to the backlash has ignited a debate, with some advertising veterans saying the company should have stood by its creative.
"Brands may feel the need to take greater risks during the festival season because they expect greater noise and want to cut through that clutter," said Samit Sinha, founder and managing partner, Alchemist Brand Consulting.
Another factor, he said, is novelty -- where a brand may want to avoid clichés in themes and messaging.
"Occasionally the risk backfires, but more often, it's simply the act of pushing boundaries -- misfire or not -- that draws criticism."
Some industry experts are of the view that the focus should be to produce content where legality is not questionable and brand's own ethics are not compromised.
"A person who calls out any ad, Kangana Ranaut in this case, doesn't express the view of the entire country," said ad film director Prahlad Kakkar.
"The first thing is to make an approximate calculation about how many people are actually offended by the content and then only move forward with a decision."
While 'decency', as broadly defined, is an important criteria, Sinha also believes that brands mustr accept that one cannot please all generations using the same content.
Social Media Changes Advertising
In most cases where brands have faced backlash over social and cultural sentiments, the ads have been taken down and companies have issued an apology about the intent being harmless.
Advertising experts are, however, of the view that if the ad is not misleading or factually incorrect, such an approach can lead to credibility issues for the brand.
According to Santosh Desai, chief executive officer at Futurebrands, factoring the rise of social media, such consumer reactions cannot be seen as unexpected.
"No brand is naive, and if it ends up behaving as though it is after a controversy, that is unjustifiable," he said.
He was of the view that "a brand should study its target audience and then stand by what it says in the content."
Feature Presentation: Ashish Narsale/Rediff
