BackTanishq says ad withdrawn due to hurt sentiments, well being of staff
From attacking stereotypes to celebrating the spirit of emancipated young Indian woman, Tanishq advertising has always been progressive and bold
PremiumNEW DELHI: A day after being viciously trolled on Twitter for glorifying love jihad, Titan Ltd owned jewellery brand Tanishq has taken down its campaign "Ekatvam" (Oneness) from all media platforms. The 45-second ad featured a Muslim family celebrating a traditional South Indian baby shower ceremony for their pregnant daughter-in-law.
A statement from the company stated that the idea behind the Ekatvam campaign is to celebrate the coming together of people from different walks of life, local communities and families during these challenging times and celebrate the beauty of oneness.
"This film has stimulated divergent and severe reactions, contrary to its very objective. We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff," it added.
The advertisement, released on 9 October, was attacked for glorifying love jihad - a term coined by Hindu extremist groups to refer to an alleged campaign by Muslims to convert Hindu girls in the guise of love. The brand was also criticised for promoting fake secular sentiment while hurting feelings of a particular religious community.
People tweeted with the hashtag #BoycottTanishq calling for a ban on the advertisement and a boycott of the jewellery brand.
Meanwhile, a section of users on Twitter also came in support of Tanishq, lauding its effort to highlight the beauty of inter-faith marriages and upholding the true idea of India. Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also tweeted that "If Hindu-Muslim “ekatvam" irks them so much, why don’t they boycott the longest surviving symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity in the world -- India?"
From attacking stereotypes to celebrating the spirit of emancipated young Indian woman, Tanishq advertising has always been progressive and bold. Advertising experts believe the new campaign is in line with the brand's core way of communicating with consumers.
According to Sambit Mohanty, creative head (South), McCann Worldgroup India, the ad nicely depicted a confluence of two religions using a family ‘godh bharai’ or baby shower as backdrop. The adverse reaction was unwarranted as it did not show anything harmful or insidious.
"Rather, it portrays a picture of harmony, love and genuine affection - which is the idea of India. That said, religion is an extremely touchy topic these days and brands usually stay away from such narratives. Though it isn’t wrong, it’s very bold of Tanishq to have tried something like this," he added.
Naresh Gupta, co-founder and chief strategy officer, Bang In The Middle, said there is not one thing that is wrong in the campaign. The whole play of relationship was well crafted.
"It’s sad that Tanishq bowed down to a few trolls and bigots. For me, it’s one one the best ads of 2020," he noted.
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