'Trust ad' starring Amitabh scrapped: What went wrong for Kalyan Jewellers

As Kalyan Jewellers looks to quell an angry crowd, brands struggle to get the tone right in a fractious environment

Faced with protests from an irate group of bankers, Kalyan Jewellers finally pulled out its advertisement that has offended many, eager to stamp down on the wave of negative publicity that was threatening to engulf the brand. Was it hasty in doing so or are companies left with little choice in the face of consumer outrage?

“As a brand we wanted to say that we will not do anything bad, even if the customer does not know about it,” said Ramesh Kalyanaraman, executive director, Kalyan Jewellers. In the ad, Amitabh Bachchan and his daughter are shown to be suffering at