Despite the withdrawal of the ad, many people came to support the campaign (File)
New Delhi:
More and more people have seen the now-withdrawn Tanishq ad as the controversy has also created a “movement” where many are buying Tanishq products to take a stand, the ad campaign creator said on Tuesday.
The announcement showed realities and, after the controversy, a silent majority of people began to denounce a vocal minority, according to Amit Akali, managing partner and creative director of “Whats Your Problem,” the agency behind the ad campaign.
In an interview with PTI, he also claimed that no one would have expected the reaction because “community harmony is the center of our fabric”.
Nonetheless, in removing the ad, he called Tanishq a “courageous” company that viewed employee safety in the face of controversy.
The $ 120 billion Tata Group chose to remove the 55-second Tanishq ad, which shows a Muslim mother-in-law caring for her pregnant Hindu daughter-in-law, following an online fury and discontent with some groups for so-called communal tones.
“People go out there and tell us we won’t let this movie get deleted, they share the movie by themselves even though it has been pulled. Or there is a movement where people buy Tanishq and show us the bills, “Akali told PTI.
Despite the withdrawal of the ad, many people came out to support the campaign and voiced their discontent with online trolls.
“We are at this stage where the majority is speaking out and this is where the love for Tanishq started to come in. I think this is a normal phenomenon in any country,” he said. stated, stressing that this is contrary to the behavioral phenomenon called “spiral of silence”.
The spiral of silence refers to a large part of the majority who remain silent because it is a way of life for them, but there is a vocal minority who keep speaking, he said.
Making it clear that the intention behind the campaign was simply to show cultural realities that fit well with a brand’s promise, and not at all political, Mr. Akali said that the wider campaign “Ekatvam” or for the Tanishq unit will continue.
Stating that the company sided with Tanishq because the post resonated with him, he said “more people have seen the post than if it hadn’t been deleted.”
He said the controversial advertisement was part of a larger campaign called “ Ekatvam, ” in which the jewelry brand partnered with 1,000 artisans from 15 Indian cultures to launch a collection.
Regarding the withdrawal of the Tata Group company from advertising, Mr. Akali backed Tanishq by calling the client a “courageous” company that has taken the position of employee safety in the face of controversy.
“I would have made the exact same decision if I had been in the customer’s shoes. Nothing is more important than the safety of an employee. He is a courageous customer and the customer has taken a stand for the safety of its employees, ”he told me.
