Celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s latest ad has created social media uproar; one wonders whether these are sheer gimmicks deliberately courting controversy?

Sheetal

Amid the series of advertisements landing themselves in controversy, comes another big name. Celebrity designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s latest jewellery collection shows models in intimate apparel wearing the mangalsutra. This has upset a section of the population, as happened with Dabur’s Fem ad that showed a same sex couple on Karwa Chauth, FabIndia’s Jashn-e-Riwaaz campaign and Manyavar Mohey’s ad that featured Alia Bhatt. Experts share their opinion on whether ad agencies are getting progressive or these are just marketing gimmicks.

The Manyavar ad that featured Alia Bhatt

Stand for it

Actress Pooja Bhatt was the first to slam Dabur for not standing for what they believed in; she tweeted, “Bas Yahi Karte Ho… slam, bam, ban! So much for being the ‘mother’ of democracy! Pity a giant like #Dabur refused to stand behind their ad.”

Javed Akhtar too commented on Thursday afternoon, “I failed to understand why some people have a problem with FabIndia’s Jashn-e-Riwaaz, which in English means nothing but ‘a celebration of tradition’. How and why can anybody have a problem with that? It is crazy.”

Sabyasachi

Ad producer, Mitali Kakar says, “As a producer for over 30 years, I know that clients and agencies plan campaigns and spend a lot of money making ad films. They would certainly not want their film to be pulled off air. In the case of Dabur the product is for women, it has featured only women and is targeted for women. The commercial is done with a lot of detail, aesthetics and care. I feel all clients should stand by their conviction and their campaigns.”

Courting controversy

Sandeep Goyal, Chief Mentor at the Indian Institute of Human Brands, is in the advertising industry for over 37 years and has often reviewed advertisements. He opines, “The Fem ad actually raises a number of questions. Is the brand progressive because it is showing a same sex married couple? Or is it regressive because the theme is Karwa Chauth? To my mind, Fem knew well that they were courting potential controversy. So the blow up is not totally unexpected. In the FabIndia case, I think they are more sinned against than sinning. I wouldn’t hold the client guilty on any count.”

Pooja Bhatt

Deep impact

Aleena Gandhi, founder, Social Media Dissect, an online platform that reviews the media content and trends, believes, “There have always been brands bold enough to take a stand. Whether it was Surf Excel promoting Hindi-Muslim unity or Tanishq with the concept of accepting inter-caste marriages, brands not only understand and prepare for the consequences but are courageous enough to take a stand.”

Social amp; Brand Communications Lead, Kritika Mitra holds a similar view, “They’re all conversation-starters. I think they’re not being progressive for the sake of it and genuinely believe in what they put forward. They may not understand the sensibilities entirely, no one does, but it’s a step in the right direction. Also, gimmicks are an important part of the industry!”

New normal

According to Sandeep, ‘woke’ advertising is quite the norm worldwide today and millennials vibe well with brands that support causes. But the problem, according to him is: “Most of the brands are into tokenism and are really not authentic in their being woke. They have no consistency in their causes and almost no depth. So the woke posturing is only in advertising. Consumers can see through that.”

Javed Akhtar

Anu Dua Sehgal, a creative writer and advertising strategist based in Chandigarh, says in advertising the biggest challenge is to grab eyeballs. “Advertising doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It reflects the mood of the society. I see these ads as advertisers’ attempt to be candid. But if people feel offended by the presentation; it’s not a loss. It’s learning for the future.”