MMT India-Pak fiasco: Brands join the chatter

The row over MakeMyTrip’s ‘An Open Invitation to Pakistani Fans’ seems to have inspired a number of brands to latch on as a moment marketing opportunity.

For instance, rival Cleartrip took a dig at MMT’s ‘discount offer on hotel rates’ to Pakistani cricket fans. Cleartrip’s ad read: “It’s one thing to celebrate your win. But to celebrate someone’s loss, that’s not sportsmanship.”

It further said: “Let’s go places together and give #EqualMaukaToAll with a flat 30% off on Hotels.”

As if the dig was not direct, Cleartrip also used tags like #CelebrateNotThis and #LetsUsePrintWisely.

However, this ad has also not been received well by netizens.

"In today's world, where brands have an amplified voice and a broader reach, it is imperative that they demonstrate sensitivity, responsibility, and respect. The recent advertisement by MakeMyTrip, leveraging the Indo-Pak cricket match, appears to lack the nuance and understanding that one would expect from a brand of its stature”, said Chandramouli Nilakantan, CEO, TRA Research giving his take on the ad by MMT.

He also noted, “While humor and light-heartedness have their place in advertising, it's essential to strike the right balance, ensuring brands don't inadvertently perpetuate stereotypes or create divides. It's always a good practice for brands to consider the larger socio-cultural context in which they operate, particularly when touching upon subjects with historical and political sensitivities."

We noticed some other brands who have put out similar campaigns.

One tacky MakeMyTrip ad was enough for assorted brands to go as tasteless and graceless as possible ? pic.twitter.com/sd9G3Nq8Gm

— Karthik ?? (@beastoftraal) October 14, 2023

https://twitter.com/beastoftraal/status/1713210511758864759

https://twitter.com/lmagesh/status/1713211188577030164

Meanwhile, Kiss Films wrote to Enormous Brands, the agency behind the creation of the MMT ad, “inviting them to work together”.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/activity-7119184196127891456-jTgX/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android

Ashish Khazanchi, Managing Partner and the Founder of Enormous Brands also took to the internet to share his view on the social media scramble.