Advertising agencies have long sparred with each other over instances of copying and plagiarism. But rarely have agencies dragged ‘clients’ into these rifts, choosing not to mar their relationship with advertisers. The ongoing Vivo-Ogilvy spat, however, has rewritten the... well... unwritten rules.
For one, the Ogilvy group has not hesitated to hold smartphone maker Vivo responsible for what it claims is an act of “copyright infringement” with respect to an ad featuring actor Aamir Khan. Second, it has opted to go to court rather than approach an industry body (such as the Advertising Standards Council of India or ASCI) for resolving