Spoof, don't mock!

Two ads, one by Havells and another by Yatra.com, have attracted a barrage of criticism

I principally have no objection to the Yatra.com Kanhaiya spoof. It is not the first time something like this has been done, nor will it be the last time. What is objectionable, however, is the crass and deliberate insensitivity of the entire ad. It is not Kanhaiya. It is not his unshaven look. It is his accent that is being targeted. That is supposed to be the trigger for humour. The portrayal of Kanhaiya is not offensive, but looking down on his heavy, native accent, is. You are supposed to laugh not because the central character is a take on Kanhaiya and his espousal of 'azadi', but because the character speaks like a 'Bihari'. The perpetuation of these stereotypes worries me. Being a small town boy myself, I empathise with those the ad actually spoofs, in fact, mocks. Sad.

There is not much of an idea in the Yatra ad as it is. It is poorly thought through and even more poorly executed. That it has generated controversy, both in mainline as well as social media, is actually great return on investment for the brand. Cheap publicity, is what I would term that. In 30 years of being in advertising, I can proudly say, I never stooped so low. If anything, Yatra should apologise for poor taste and poor judgement.

The Havells ad, on the other hand, is a nice rendition of their ongoing theme, 'hawa badlegi' (the times will change). I found it strange that Havells chose to apologise on social media for hurting the sentiments of some sections of society and withdrew the ad. Surprisingly so, for this is an ad with a backbone. Yes, the creative idea of being a 'pankha' is somewhat stretched, if not contrived, but the overall messaging is lucid and clean. There is nothing in the ad to be apologetic about and I see no reason for Havells to go on the back foot and withdraw it. The young girl opting to choose not to avail the crutches of reservation, "Nahi chahiye mujhko seedi … arre main hoon aane wali peedi" (I don't need a ladder, I am the future) is empowerment, not a negative portrayal of the quota issue. The premise of the ad is bold, emphatic, progressive and proactive. My quarrel with Havells is that having decided to create a brand entity based on a refreshingly nice idea of fanning change, they did not even stand up to some negative trolling on social media forums. Sure, some will disagree. Sure, some will have a contra point of view. But, for the sake of the brand and its identity that the company has shaped and supported over the years, Havells needed to roll with the punches and stand its ground.

I believe it is general custom today to kick up a controversy on anything, and everything. The controversy is generated without a proper understanding of issues involved. It is so much easier to take sides, pro-Kanhaiya or anti-Kanhaiya. And, so easy to just laugh at his accent and mock where he came from, while eulogising an empty 'azadi' promise. As I said, sad, very sad.

Sandeep Goyal
An advertising veteran