Fabrics of India and Tanishq took down their ads in India.
As a business owner, you do not want your ad to create anything other than a branding point. Making a clear point and not getting into serious controversies can be tricky for the creators. We as a brand always need to be super careful on how to avoid these controversies.
Not to say that controversies do help in earning some good revenue also. But hurting sentiments can cause your brand unrecoverable harm.
The controversy can be related to any issues which is sensitive among the audience and the current environment. It can be cultural, political, humanitarian, or even about climate change. The source of the controversy differs.
For instance, the FabIndia and Tanishq ad taken down is due to the political circumstances of India in current times. Consumer sentiments were not hurt this time as the NDTV reported.
But this might not always be the case. Sometimes makers do create something awful.
In 2016, Ranveer Singh’s Jack and Jones ad was taken down from the billboards as it was considered to be sexist. Ranveer Singh later issued a public apology latter. Even though Industry veterans Alok Nath and Shakti Kapoor supported the ad publicly, but the audience won as it was majorly hurtful for them.
Whatever may be the reason; the results end up in arguments around the brand image.
Factors that majorly create this kind of controversy are
- Being insulting
- Not being mindful of the age groups
- Religious undertone
- Getting judgy
- Taking sides
- Alienating minorities
- Political comments
These ads and campaigns cost an investment of money and time. Being mindful before creating the ads can save your efforts and money from going to waste.