After mixed opinions burst from the people of the country and the company taking down their controversial advertisement, the ad maker has now said the 55-second film has gained more attention as people are sharing the video and in-turn making others watch it too to make their stand for Tanishq evident.
Moreover, Amit Akali, part of the campaign creating agency ‘What’s Your Problem’, said on 20th October, that the advertisement gave rise to a “movement” as several customers are buying the jewelry only to support it.
According to the Managing Partner and Creative Head, the ad reflects the ground reality of the country thriving in unity as the majority of people who remained silent on other issues have voiced their opinions now against the minority that disregarded the ad.
As India is a secular country in the constitution, the criticism it received wasn’t expected because “communal harmony is the center of our fabric”, Mr. Akali said.
The advertisement owned and broadcasted on behalf of the company under Tata Group’s wing, Tanishq, was taken down “in view of the safety of the employees”, according to its official statement. The 55-second clip showed a Muslim mother-in-law caring for her pregnant Hindu daughter-in-law and celebrating her baby shower according to the Hindu rituals.
This, however, dint go well with a sector of the society that showed immense backlash and hatred towards it, demanding for a video that demonstrates the reversal of the roles and the reaction of Muslims towards it. Communal disharmonies and anger started erupting as the video was absorbed in a way that wasn’t intended to be.
Mr. Akali, while speaking about the support they are receiving, said, “People are going out there and telling us that we will not let this film get deleted, they are sharing the film on their own even though it has been removed. Or there is a movement where people are buying Tanishq and showing us the bills.”
Social media still witnessed a majority of people standing in solidarity and showering their support to the creative advertisement. Many were also seen debating with the online trolls made against the campaign.
He added, “We are at that stage where the majority is speaking up and that is where the love for Tanishq started coming in. I think this is a normal phenomenon in any country.”
Mr. Akali said the purpose behind the ad was to deliver the message of unity that exists within the Indian communities and cultures and the way the brand provides its products for all cultures. The broader motive of the campaign ‘Ekatvam’ or unity that was to be showcased wasn’t political at all, he said, further adding that the campaign will continue to do what it intends to.
Calling the stand of people with Tanishq as a reality they related with, Mr. Akali said the film has now been watched by many more after it has been removed than it would be if it wasn’t.
He termed the move of the company to withdraw the ad as “brave” as it cared for the safety of its employees. “I would have taken exactly the same decision if I would have been in the client’s shoes. Nothing is more important than the safety of an employee. It is a brave client and the client took a stance for the safety of its employees,” he said.
Nevertheless, he did not wish to speak about the situations the company and they had to face following the controversy.
Post the ad, over 200 couples have come forward to share their inter-faith marriage stories with Tanishq, which is set to be made into a book in the future, Mr. Akali said.
While sharing that he himself got married to a Parsi girl being a Hindu-Sikh man, he said, “We didn’t set out to do audacious things, we set out to do correct things, things happening around us and this is normal reality. A mother-in-law taking care of the daughter-in-law is the reality.”
He said that even though they wouldn’t take any credit for creating a massive change in society, the world will consider the campaign as a “watershed movement” in the future as people will remember that a certain brand took the initiative and shared what it believed in.
