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| Advertising industry dismissive of outrage from Yuvi fans |
| Alokananda Chakraborty & Sayantani Kar / New Delhi Feb 09, 2012, 01:03 IST |
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 The advertising campaign of Birla Sun Life Insurance, the life insurance arm of Aditya Birla Financial Services, with Yuvraj Singh as brand ambassador may be sailing a bit too close to real life. Taking forward the 2009 refrain of ‘Jab tak balla chalega...’, the new advertisement has the cricketer, who is battling cancer, talk about the blow to his health in a bid to urge consumers to be more cautious in life.
The advertisements hit TV screens on January 30 — the same week news of Singh’s tumour being malignant became public. “The message is as much about my audience as it is about me,” Yuvraj Singh told Business Standard in a interview a few days ago.
Ajay Kakar, chief marketing officer, financial services, Aditya Birla Group, said the media plan was drawn-up a while back and since it is the first week of launch, the frequency of airing it is higher. “Most of all, Yuvraj (Singh) has said the ad is a close reflection of his life,” he said.
India’s advertising industry has long believed in self-regulation, with the regulator having no judicial powers. A complainant, though, can move courts against certain violations codified by the regulator. A spokesperson of the Advertising Standards Council of India, the regulatory body of the Indian ad industry, said: “This doesn’t fall under the purview of the code of ethics of ASCI.”
The advertising industry sounded dismissive of outrage from Yuvraj Singh’s fans expressed on social networks.
"We are accustomed to seeing death as a drama, thanks to news television. So, how can this be an ethics issue in advertising," asks Kishore Chakraborti, vice-president, consumer Insight & HRD, of advertising agency McCann Erickson.
"Endorsement is about finding a strategic fit and if a brand can show Yuvraj as a fighter, good for both (the brand and Singh). Just remember, celebrities don't build brands, ideas do. Having said that, you can of course debate whether this is insensitive on the part of the advertiser or not."
JWT Mumbai vice-president and executive creative director Nandita Chalam, who oversaw the TVC, said in an earlier interview, “Showing that even cricketing Gods could have feet of clay builds a strong connect. This time, we suggested continuing with the successful campaign.
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