India’s Ad Retreats: Brands Pull Campaigns Amidst Backlash

Ever notice how some festive ads pop up, spark a huge online debate, and then just disappear? It’s becoming a familiar pattern in India, where brands often pull campaigns after facing public objections, especially amplified by social media.

This cycle of releasing a campaign, facing criticism, and then quickly withdrawing the advertisement, expressing regret, and reaffirming respect for Indian culture seems to repeat annually. It raises questions about how much conviction brands truly have in their own creative choices.

The GIVA Controversy and Other Instances

A recent example involved jewellery brand GIVA’s Raksha Bandhan film, which featured actor Kriti Sanon. The ad drew criticism for Sanon’s Indo-Western attire and the depiction of tying a rakhi to a dog.

GIVA quickly withdrew the film, even though Sanon publicly defended the idea that a festival’s essence lies in its meaning to celebrants, not in a woman’s clothing. This showed a surprising inversion where the endorser seemed to hold more conviction than the brand itself.

This predictable capitulation isn’t new; we’ve seen it before with several other big names:

• Tanishq’s ‘Ekatvam’ film faced objections.
• Manyavar’s campaign questioned the tradition of kanyadaan.
• Dabur’s Karva Chauth film featured a same-sex couple.
• Controversies also involved FabIndia, Sabyasachi, and Zomato.

The argument is that while some people will always find something to be offended by, the distinct pattern in India is the corporate response. Withdrawal has become the standard operating procedure, almost incentivizing ‘outrage manufacturing’ because a few thousand hashtags can reliably bring a national brand to its knees.

Standing Firm: A Different Approach

Interestingly, these campaigns go through extensive creative development, client approvals, legal vetting, and consumer research. This implies brands are usually aware of potential objections, making their swift withdrawal seem puzzling.

However, not all brands follow this script. Hindustan Unilever’s Surf Excel ‘Rang Laaye Sang’ campaign from 2019 faced immediate backlash but HUL chose not to withdraw or apologize.

Instead, the company explained the film’s message of togetherness, allowing the controversy to run its course. This demonstrated that pulling an ad and apologizing are corporate choices, not inevitable consequences of online outrage.

Ultimately, disowning a deliberate creative choice at the first sign of foreseeable criticism carries significant costs. It signals to target consumers that their identification with the brand matters less than hostile online traffic, and it leaves celebrity endorsers exposed. Brands need to ask themselves before launching sensitive campaigns: are we prepared to defend this? If the answer is no, the ad shouldn’t run; if yes, a few angry hashtags shouldn’t change that conviction.