Ad controversies: Unexpected criticism or calculated gamble?

It was Sabyasachi’s turn yesterday. The luxury clothing label trended on Twitter after being slammed by the netizens for allegedly hurting religious sentiments with their ad campaign to promote the brand's mangalsutra collection.

Sabyasachi joined the long list of Indian brands such as Dabur and FabIndia that have faced backlash on social media platforms over the past few weeks of the festive season. Some brands like FabIndia have withdrawn their ads while Dabur has additionally issued a public apology for its choice of the ‘lesbian Karwa Chauth’ theme to promote the company’s bleaching cream Fem. 

This vicious cycle has been repeated so many times over the past few years that some people now wonder whether the brands are picking up controversial themes purposely to get quick publicity.  

While brands, media, and creative agencies remain tight-lipped over the matter, some ad filmmakers agree that such campaigns are often motivated and prepared with a calculated risk. 

“Of course most companies are doing it deliberately. This is a smart way of communicating these days. Otherwise, what was the point of choosing a lesbian theme for Karwa Chauth, especially for a company like Dabur which is known for its products prepared with ancient Indian knowledge and ayurveda?” opines ad, TV and feature filmmaker Dilip Kadam, who feels that Dabur did so for its image makeover to reach out to the younger generation who have a far open mindset compared to older generations. 

How does controversy help brands?

Kadam, who has made several ad campaigns, explains, “Negative publicity is far more effective than a positive one. Controversies, social media outrage, and hashtag trends force many uninitiated people to watch the ads. The brand’s name gets itched in their mind. Controversial themes also help to get mainstream media coverage which maximizes the impact and reach of the brand.”

Lloyd Mathias, Business Strategist and former marketing head at HP, Motorola and PepsiCo, however, has  a different take on the matter. 

He says, “While it's often said that any publicity is good publicity, I believe using this strategy is walking on a knife’s edge. Often this trolling can escalate and lead to business disruption and at the least serve as a distraction to the brand’s own narrative.”

Calculated Gamble?

Sandeep Goyal, an expert in the advertising sector and chief mentor at the Indian Institute of Human Brands, Mumbai, feels that such controversial ad campaigns are not always innocent. 

“The ad maker, the media agency, and brand all know, since the beginning, that this particular theme is likely to get backlash. Yet, they go ahead with the ad and play a calculated gamble. Dabur’s ad of its bleaching cream, for instance, will remain in people’s memory for years, thanks to the controversy and boycott calls. The product has no role in a same-sex relationship. But the company chose the theme with a calculated risk.”

Pranav Agarwal, Co-Founder, Sociowash, however, disagrees.

“I feel that brands don't choose to sound or come across as controversial. While many times certain campaigns project a bolder narrative that questions stereotypes and are on the edge, the ultimate goal isn't controversy but is conversation.”

“A lot of times brands and campaigns face backlash when they put an uncommon thought on the table. But we won't necessarily call them controversy-led, rather it's the audience that is still evolving and moving towards the maturity to consume such content. If we look at controversies at a global level, we'll understand that it's the power to accept and relate to content that makes or breaks a campaign. And hence, as we move towards a more evolved mindset, we'll automatically become more accepting/logical towards controversial content,” Agarwal shared.

No impact on sales 

Kadam says brands’ public apology does wonders.

“Sentiments calm down once the brands retract their ads and say sorry. Due to this humbleness, people appreciate the company and its products more. Hence, the social media boycott call doesn’t translate into the actual boycott but helps in generating more revenue,” he explains. 

Mathias agrees with Kadam. 

“Issues and trends on social media are mostly ephemeral and die down quickly when trolls divert attention to the next thing. In most cases, there is no long-term impact on sales,” Mathias says. 

No estimate or statistics about the impact on sales due to such controversies is available so far. 

What about ad expenditure?

How much do these brands spend on ad campaigns? Does the expenditure go into the drain when they withdraw the ad?

Goyal says, “Most ad campaigns cost less than a crore. The digital ones come even cheaper, Rs 8-10 lakh. The controversial ads get a disproportionate amount of visibility compared to the cost. This is actually a good business strategy.” 

e4m reached out to Dabur to understand their stand on the whole issue, but we are yet to get a response.