A sensitive question, but answered in no ambiguous words by Dr Bhaskar Das in the October 18 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…
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Q. Now AU Bank is in a spot over its ads upsetting religious sentiments. Given rising intolerance levels, would you advise advertisers to steer clear of such issues/themes? Or any publicity is good publicity?
A. I agree with your observation that advertisers/ marketers should steer clear of sensitive issues in their communication, in view of increasing intolerance/ cancel culture. I know there would be advocates of freedom of speech and use of communication as a means of driving social change and they would be right in their position. But when one does business, these kind of controversies cause distraction from the core focus of any business entity. It may be prudent to mind one’s business, literally and metaphorically.