For as long as we can remember, advertisements have been critical tools for many businesses all over the world. They serve a variety of functions, including marketing services or goods, increasing brand recognition, and cultivating brand loyalty, among others. They are designed to bring your company’s name to the forefront.
Advertisements have been renowned as the world’s window of information over time. We’ve all read print advertising or watched TV commercials throughout the years, and there have been a few standouts that have piqued our interest. Some of them strike the proper chord, while others are accused of being too sexist, too profane, or too open-minded in light of Indian society’s social stigmas.
Almost all of the ads we’ll discuss below have been roundly mocked by India’s all-around society and raised everyone’s eyebrows & made too much noise.
So, let’s have a look at them:
1. This latest Paytm ad, which features Sachin Tendulkar and depicts a little boy being slapped, has gone viral.
Paytm has announced the launch of its next marketing campaign with Sachin Tendulkar as a digital financial service platform through its subsidiary Paytm First Games (PFG). The ‘Making the Right Decision’ campaign aims to encourage millions of people to follow in the footsteps of the cricketer. But this advertisement is so much criticism for its controversial concept.
Placing a super in front of a youngster in an advertisement isn’t justifiable. It’s also not a negative thing to support and cheer for a team. It’s referred to as sportsmanship. What a dreadful advertisement. This is a shockingly awful message. Is this the message you want to instill in your children? Or perhaps I misunderstood?
Slapping a child in an ad isn’t justified by putting a super. Sick. Cheering & supporting a team also isn’t a bad thing. It’s called sportsmanship. What a horrible ad. Shockingly bad message. Is this what you want to teach children? Or maybe I didn’t get it? 🤔 https://t.co/KeYI12z5I5
— kunal kohli (@kunalkohli) September 23, 2020
2. The ad for Amul’s ‘Wuhan Se Yahaan’ sparked outrage for being insensitive.
“Wuhan Se Yahaan Le Aaye…Amul homecoming snack” a satirical spin on the Amul hoarding on Coronavirus… The Amul homecoming snack, which included a photo of an Amul girl wearing a mask and exiting an Air India jet with other mask-wearing passengers, tangled up social media.
The brand was viciously ridiculed for being insensitive and joking about a life-or-death situation. To be honest, I didn’t see anything disagreeable in the communication. I believe the trolls were being incited for no cause. Much of the wrath was focused on the Amul girl with the mask.
in bad taste. pic.twitter.com/nw4WA7lBGd
— Sona Mohapatra (@sonamohapatra) February 5, 2020
3. These Zomato adverts parodied the popular ‘MC BC’ by turning it into mac-n-cheese and butter chicken.
Zomato, which is known for its unique branding, may have had a little too much fun with one of its marketing campaigns, which resulted in public uproar. The meal delivery app positioned the letters “MC. BC.” in bold for one of its out-of-home commercials shown across hoardings and banners in Delhi-NCR, with tinier text beneath that read “mac n’ cheese” and “butter chicken.”
Because MC BC includes harsh Hindi expletives, the audience and some social media users were not pleased with the commercial.
The hoardings were removed and the business apologised after a widespread outcry on social media. Several other advertising moguls slammed the usage of such an ad, claiming it was in terrible taste.
4. In Gujarat, this Manforce campaign starring Sunny Leone uses Navratri to promote condoms.
Sunny Leone’s condom advertisements have generated uproar in Gujarat ahead of the Navratri celebrations. Sunny Leone is seen looking at a Gujarati inscription that reads, “Aa Navratrie ramo parantu prem thi (This Navratri, play, but with love)” on a condom brand’s hoarding.
Though they do not utilise the word condom in their banner, the idea is evident because phrases like “play,” “love,” and “Navratri” are coined over Manforce’s huge logo. After public criticism, the corporation was obliged to pull the commercial.
5. This ad for uterus removal from a private hospital in Ernakulam has to be taken down after a social media outcry.
The hospital officials deleted an advertisement by a private hospital in Ernakulam promoting sophisticated laparoscopic surgery for uterus removal after it was attacked on social media during the last several days.
‘Goodbye Uterus,’ said the commercial, which featured a young woman thanking the organ for giving her a daughter. The commercial appeared to imply that when the organ’s reproductive duties were passed, women may undergo surgery. The hoarding was visible in at least two prominent locations around the city.
6. Jawed Habib’s ad for his salon, which depicted Indian gods. When it comes to religion on television and in print, our society isn’t exactly tolerant.
When a pre-Durga Puja advertisement portraying Hindu gods was launched in Kolkata, Jawed Habib found himself in serious trouble. The commercial featured gods and goddesses getting their hair repaired, applying make-up, and calculating money in a Jawed Habib salon, with the tagline “Gods too visit JH salon.”
The ad did not go over well with the public, with many people taking to Twitter and other social media platforms to express their displeasure, claiming that Habib should not have played with people’s emotions by portraying the gods in this manner. As a result, he was forced to issue a public apology and remove the ad.
7. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting banned this Lux Cosy commercial, calling it “indecent, vulgar, and suggestive.”
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has banned an advertisement for the Lux Cozi brand of underwear that featured a semi-clothed male and female model as well as a dog. The ad was found to be indecent, vulgar, and suggestive, and thus violated Rule 7 (8) of the Advertising Code prescribed under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995 and rules framed thereunder.
8. Models Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre wore nothing but shoes in this 1995 commercial for Tuff Shoes, which featured a python coiled around their bodies.
The news was created by a black and white photograph of Milind Soman and Madhu Sapre, two supermodels of the period, with a sculpted and toned figure and posed ideally to the requirements for an ad but appearing nude. The duo posed naked in the 1995 campaign, wearing nothing but a pair of tough shoes and a python wrapped around their bodies.
This commercial was quickly prohibited following a slew of disputes and strong protests from social organisations accusing them of encouraging harmful behaviours and vulgarity. The advertisement was removed from the airwaves, and the models were charged with obscene behaviour in a courtroom.
9. Dino Morea pulling off Bipasha Basu’s underwear with his teeth in a 1998 inner-wear ad was banned following massive objections.
Although the controversial Calida commercial is not well remembered, the models who appeared in it and what they were doing elicited a few eyebrows. Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea, young supermodels and eventually companions, are seen having fun, with Dino ripping Bipasha Basu’s panties off with his teeth.
The text supers read ‘And you thought your hunger for gluttony could only be whetted by Swiss chocolates.’Â The commercial was prohibited after it was blasted as being too crude for Indian sensitivities. Bipasha Basu allegedly claimed it was not an ad but some intimate moments recorded on video to escape legal complications.
10. This Kamasutra Condoms commercial from 1991 was prohibited because it was “too steamy.”
Pooja Bedi and Marc Robinson starred in it, and it was much ahead of its time.
11. This Wild Stone deo commercial from 2007, which many of you may have seen on television. The I&B Ministry deemed the original uncut version “indecent, filthy, and provocative.”
Thanks to his deo, a Bengali woman hooked up with a random man during Durga Puja. Back in the day, a heavily edited version would air on television.
Also read: 14 Matrimonial Ads On Indian Newspapers That Will Leave You Rolling On The Floor
