MxMIndia

Category: #SCAMADGATE

  • What is worrying is that many ads show women as an object rue sociologist Sarla Bijapurkar and Population first director Dr A L Sharada

    #Scamadgate: Not sacking, self-regulation needed: activists

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    “Koi aur option nahi hai kya” says a man after looking at the girl they have come to see for marriage in one of the latest advertisements. India is not new to controversies related to sexist or offensive advrtisemts. In the past too, there have been many ads where a fairness cream would ehange the life of a dark-skinned woman after applying or an app which portrays woman as men would want them to be.

     

    A L Sharada

    “It’s good to see people reacting so harshly to the advertisement,” says Dr A L Sharada, Programme Director, Population First, on the Ford-JWT controversy. “With advertisements and shows portraying women in stereotypical characters or manner for years now have only made us more tolerant about them.”

     

    Sociologist Sarla Bijapurkar feels that many advertisements show women as an object, enhancing on the ‘male perception’ of women rather than as individuals. “What happened in Delhi and the uproar created after that would have made one think that things will change now. But one look at the newspaper will prove that wrong.”

     

    Ms Bijapurkar believes that though it is wrong to blame advertisements or TV or films for it but they do play a role in showcasing women as an object of desire.

     

    Similarly, Dr Sharada feels that we have forgotten all about the thin line between what is acceptable and what is not, even if it is in humour. “We need to know where to draw the line.”

     

    On the sackings by JWT after the controversy, both experts feel that sacking is not the answer here but self-regulation is the right way to go about it. “We look up to these people for their creativity, but if they will only depend on stereotyping then what is the difference between anyone of us and them?” asks Dr Sharada.

     

    They point out that though the issue has once again brought up the ugly side of the Indian advertisements, what is worrying about the fact that many subtle sexist ads go unchallenged and are more dangerous. Hence, it is important to challenge it and change our perceptions.

     

  • The Ford India management will take action after its internal investigations are done, but since the Abby entry was approved by a Ford official, it's wrong to make the JWT India folks the scapegoat

    #Scamadgate: Ball in Ford India’s court now

    By A Correspondent

     

    Everyone likes free publicity, but Ford India couldn’t have bargained for this. As MxMIndia Editor-at-Large Anil Thakraney wrote in his tri-weekly blog ‘Hard Knocks’: It’s only within the global ad frat that the names of WPP and JWT crop up. To the rest of the world, Ford is the offender.

     

    Ford has been in damage control mode as it apologized on Day 1.

     

    “The investigation over what happened is ongoing,” Ford spokesperson Chris Preuss told Advertising Age. “Obviously, appropriate actions will be taken up to and including the dismissal of individuals who were found to be culpable.”

     

    To the questions, MxMIndia sent to Ford India, Head of Communications Deeptie Sethi wrote back: We have a process to investigate internal matters, and as such, we are conducting an investigation to determine how this happened. Once the investigation is complete we will take the appropriate action, if needed.”

     

    But there’s a problem with what the folks at Ford are quoted at various places.

     

    Like this one from Scott Monty who oversees Global Digital Communications. Reacting to  a post on the Wall Street Journal’s CFO Journal editor Nicholas Elliott where he has said among other things that “this kind of control failure can require serious remedial work and put a company’s good name at risk”.

     

    Mr Monty wrote to Mr Elliott:

    “Nick,

    You neglected to share that these were not part of any ongoing or commercially commissioned work for Ford by JWT and that the images in question were not part of our standard review and oversight process. In short, these were not Ford ads.

    Hoping you can clear this up.”

     

    This message was posted on Tuesday, March 26, by which time one is sure Ford officials would know what really happened. But if the ads weren’t part of any ongoing or commercially commissiond work, then what were they were doing at the Creative Abby, where an entry requires the okay of the client and the ads entered should’ve been used commercially, unless used for charity.

     

    On the issue of Ford firing JWT, there has been some discussion online. To a comment by BL Ochman to an AdAge story where s/he said (edited):  “These ads were despicable on every level. Agencies have been fired for one errant Tweet, and Ford’s keeping JWT India?! Seriously?”, Mr Monty wrote back: “As we said, BL, the relationship with WPP goes way back and is a global one. It’s not quite as simple as you describe.”

    JWT, we believe, shouldn’t be too worried about the sack, because right now, it’s Ford that’s goofing it.

     

    In response to the MxMIndia tweet promoting our Big Story on Wednesday, Sanjay Tripathy, Executive Vice President – Head Marketing, Products and Direct Channels at HDFC Life, tweeted back: “Completely agree.. Ford India Marketing Head should also go”.

     

    Elsewhere to a Facebook post, KR wrote: “Without Ford agreeing to this JWT India scam ad, this would have never ever seen light of the day. All I feel is that, Ford India folk’s heads should have been rolled, not JWT India guys..!!!”

     

    To repeat what Ford India’s Ms Sethi told us: “We are conducting an investigation to determine how this happened. Once the investigation is complete we will take the appropriate action, if needed.”

    Clearly there will be a lot of people to know what’s come out in the problem. Anyone for ACP Pradyuman? We have one  in our midst.

     

  • There was a spontaneous outpouring of sympathy for #Scamadgate victim Bobby Pawar on Facebook and Twitter

    #Scamadgate: Social media bats for Bobby Pawar

    By A Correspondent

     

    Bobby Pawar may have suffered much humiliation with #Scamadgate, but there was a tone of bravado as he updated his Facebook status with this: “As long as I have them and my family I have everything.” The message accompanied a photograph of members of his family.

     

    Elsewhere, the Twitterati was getting restless. @abanith17h wrote: if Berlusconi can make a come back so can you! God Speed dude!

     

    But there was another sentiment that was growing. @mintmayhem wrote: What’s more tasteless than d #Ford Ads is JWT not owning up to their creative team aft consciously entering ads for Abby’s.

     

    @TinuCherian echoed a similar sentiment: Shaming and Firing your employee publicly is the last thing a company should be doing.

     

    Meanwhile, there were many outpourings of support  in response to his Facebook post. Since these are not in the public domain, we have withheld the name of the person quoted with just the initials. Note there are several more messages, all of which praising Bobby and his work. We’ve picked only a few of these….

     

    MJ: totally agree, the family is the reservoir of strength.

     

    SPB: Well sir, you also have a wit that quite a few with their narrow thinking lack! The sun will shine again tomorrow, I’m sure!

     

    SS1: N the fraternity family! I still do not understand how u responsible – moraly or otherwise..u r not expected to see all pieces of work especially those which will never get published or is a client brief..

     

    RS: At the end of the day, that’s all that matters, Bobby. And you know the whole industry knows what this is all about. A $2Billion ad budget is a tough thing to be weighed against. Yet you walk away with an unscathed rep…Godspeed!

     

    SR: its 2 billion dollar that mattered more than its own people! we have seen the true color of jwt now.

     

    AG: very true bobby..family is indeed the source of everything

     

    SS2: All I know is Sachin is Sachin,Yuvi is back at his best, Tiger Woods is again no 1 and waiting for Bobby to deliver big time

     

    SK: U rock bobby. Been there done enough seen enough lead enough. Enough said. Though you would want always to do more.

     

    SS3: That’s right brother! You are the best person I have had the good fortune to meet iin a long, long time. I cannot tell you how outraged I feel and how close I feel to Sampy, Iti, Ari and you at this moment. You cannot keep a good person down. Certainly not someone as good as you!!!

     

    VM: We all believe in you Bobby. Nothing to worry. A good person and good intentions are important. And you are/have both..

     

    SG: i dont care what they say… i have immense respect for you..

     

    MHS: Jobs come and jobs go and public memory is short. But a true leader sticks by his guns and protects others. That’s what you did and You should be proud of taking the moral responsibility. The industry respects you. It’s sad that the agency didn’t have the balls. Good luck Bobby. Big hug! Xxx

     

    JT: Hey Bobby, When you have your family you don’t need nothing. Move on to bigger happiness that awaits.

     

    NS: I had thought that some juniors will be made scapegoats and thrown under the bus. Don’t know the back story for this decision,but as M said earlier, you should be proud of sticking to your guns and taking responsibility. Best of luck.

     

    There are posts elsewhere too echoing a similar sentiment. There is also outrage against WPP, JWT India boss Colvyn Harris and against Ford. Sample this:

    PKS: Sorry, Sir Martin Sorrel, you failed your agency.

     

    AD: CYA policy… cover your ass… and the buck had to stop at someone

     

    AL: Every controversy needs a fall guy…really sad that it had to be Bobby Pawar

     

    MM (edited): While the JWT India scam ad for Ford was dumb, sacking Bobby Pawar for it is dumber. Now I hear he might be hired back as a “consultant”. Smacks of testicular deficiency all around I think. Stand up for your creatives, @Colvyn Harris. Don’t sell them out at the first sign of trouble. Now who with a brain and a backbone will work for you?

     

    KR: Without Ford agreeing to this JWT India scam ad, this would have never ever seen light of the day. All I feel is that, Ford India folk’s heads should have been rolled, not JWT India guys..!!!

     

    IS: Unimaginative. I’d have the creative team, creative bosses and Ford work on and fund a significant campaign against violence against women.

     

    SP: … the days of circa 1990 trikaya , of people with balls is a a tad rare!

     

    RP: Typical of bosses….running away…they dont have the guts to protect their own people…

     

    What Ford and JWT wouldn’t have bargained for was the international media attention that the controversy has generated.

     

    Sample these:

     

    Huffington Post:

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/ford-ad-jwt-india_n_2962649.html

     

    BBC:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21949622

     

    Financial Times (blog):

    http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2013/03/27/india-jwt-staff-leave-after-bondage-ad/New York Times (blog)

     

    USA Today:

    http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/03/27/ford-jim-farley-bondage-berlusconi/2024141/

     

    Wall Street Journal (requires subscription):

    http://blogs.wsj.com/cfo/2013/03/26/fords-crash-course-in-reputation-risk/

     

    Anindya Banerjee still trying to figure out the ‘sexist’ portion in the ads. Looks like a mystery that’s not going to be answered.

     

  • Mediaah! asks the dramatis personae some leading questions a la Arnab Goswami on news hour

    #scamadgate: 10 Questions for JWT, Ford & Bobby Pawar

     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    When the history of modern Indian journalism will be written, one is sure it will have a rather long chapter on Arnab Goswami. On his ‘bhashans’ at the beginning of Newshour, his questions – the answers to which, according to him, the nation wants to know – and his style of interrogating his guests…

     

    Pause for a bit, shut your eyes and imagine it’s Monsieur Goswami who’s speaking aloud. Note: speaking, not screaming.

     

    So, eyes shut. 19 seconds.

     

    Here goes:

     

    Hello and welcome to this bright and sunny day in Mumbai.

     

    Last week, a leading US publication found the creatives of a Ford ad to be offensive and raised a stink about it. As the controversy erupted, Ford’s agency in India – the redoubtable J Walter Thompson – sent in a letter to the Advertising Club withdrawing its ads from the Creative Abby, the Oscars of the advertising creative business in India.

     

    Since the controversy has been raging, both JWT and Ford have issued a series of statements. JWT has also terminated the services of two of Indian advertising’s brightest stars – Bobby Pawar and Vijay Simha. Pawar is managing partner and chief creative officer, the No 2 man at the agency owned by British media magnate Sir Martin Sorrel’s WPP. Reportedly some juniors working on the account have also been sacked.

     

    So here we are, ladies and gentlemen. Ten questions, the answers to which the industry wants to know. For, if we don’t nail the real people, the reputation of our Indian advertising and marketing fraternity will be forever tarnished.

     

    Question 1: Why are Bobby Pawar and Vijay Simha being made scapegoats when Ford India had okayed the entry of the creatives?

     

    Question 2: Firing Messrs Pawar and Simha and some juniors was an easy way out for JWT as it appears to be encouraging fake ads. Does Sir Sorrell’s advertising empire have a Code of Ethics on scam ads? Does JWT have a policy on ‘scams’?

     

    Question 3: Shouldn’t Colvyn Harris as the head of the agency, and not Bobby Pawar, have been the fall guy, if there was to be one?

     

    Question 4: Agreed it’s tough for awards organizers to nab scam entries when they are eligible as per rules, but why aren’t the industry bodies and associations able to build a consensus on fake ads? Why do marketing managers push agencies for awards for their brands?

     

    Moving on to Ford

    Question 5: While Ford has apologized, the controversy snowballs as we learn that it’s not about some creatives being uploaded on adsoftheworld.com. They were entered for the Creative Abby and the entry required a signed approval from the client. Who signed the letter? Did the marketing head see the controversial ads?

     

    Question 6: The sacked employees and their families have gone through a torrid time. Are these the ethical standards that Ford has internationally? If Ford India is equally liable why sack these creative folk of JWT?

     

    Question 7: Why is Ford India taking so much time on its internal probe? Is a cover-up being hatched or is it genuinely taking so much time to find out who approved the ads.

     

    Question 8: Does Ford have a policy on scam ads?

     

    And I have a few questions for Bobby Pawar:

    Question 9:  You have hinted at saying that you didn’t see the ads or they didn’t bear your approval. Who did it then?

     

    Question 10: Do you think you’ve been wronged, especially since your leadership at JWT – India and Worldwide and your client – as in Ford – are allowed to go scotfree. Do you think the agency ought to have stood together on this rather than have you and a few others pay the price?

     

    These are questions we ask in this very special comment on Your Site.

     

    We sent these questions to JWT, Bobby Pawar and Ford in the early hours of Wednesday. Ford’s PR head responded to us promptly with a stock quote. JWT and Pawar didn’t respond. Meanwhile, there are rumours that Bobby Pawar may be retained by JWT as a consultant.

     

    As of now, Ford and JWT are not parting ways… in India or elsewhere in the world. But the answers, ladies and gentlemen, we must get, as otherwise the industry will not sleep tonight. And for the next issue we are raising this March 28, should Pakistan be…

     

    Chill. No discussions on relations with Pakistan, China, Sri Lanka, Australia here. Meanwhile, more on #Scamadgate elsewhere. Arnab Goswami, zindabad!

     

  • JWT must consider itself fortunate if Ford decides to continue with the partnership, writes Anil Thakraney

    #Scamadgate: Anil Thakraney: Pawar had to go

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Bobby Pawar must be sorely regretting he’s not a politician. Had he been one, JWT’s creative chief could have said the Ford scam ads are a conspiracy to malign his image, haha. Well, this isn’t Indian rajneeti, and therefore he got the boot. Must say Pawar’s conduct saddens me. As the big leader of the agency, he ought to have immediately taken direct responsibility for the offending ads, and resigned. Even if this crappy work was done by some young, desperate creatives, even if he wasn’t aware of the existence of these ads. Had he done so, Pawar might have walked away into the sunset with some degree of dignity still intact.

     

    Instead, the senior agency leaders’ first reaction was to wash their hands off the mess. Such leaders have to be sacked, no two ways on that. Especially so in the ad world, because scammy, unauthorized ads such as these directly affect the client’s image. It’s only within the global ad frat that the names of WPP and JWT crop up. To the rest of the world, Ford is the offender. Naturally therefore, some blood needed to spill.

     

    Speaking on a larger note, it’s shameful that after all these years of heated discussions on the subject, agency creatives continue to indulge in scam ads to win awards. Hopefully, Pawar’s sacking will result in some change. For one, national creative directors need to start worrying about the kind of culture and values they inculcate within their organizations. If the entire focus is on easy awards, scams will continue to happen, they are inevitable. If youngsters are evaluated mainly on the quantum of awards won, they will be tempted to cheat.

     

    Secondly, it’s high time systems and processes are initiated whereby juniors cannot upload any work that hasn’t been okayed by very senior creative directors. There was a time when young creatives would beg and plead with their media department to get a scam ad released in a lowly newspaper. Now, they just have to tweet it, and it’s out there for the world to see. All the more reason urgent attention needs to be paid to the operating processes, particularly so in large and medium sized ad agencies. One measure I can suggest right away is this: Every single employee needs to sign a declaration that he/she shall not publish anything official on the net without sanction from the national creative director. If they break this rule, they shall get instantly sacked, regardless of the material uploaded.

     

    Lastly, JWT must consider itself fortunate if Ford decides to continue with the partnership. Very fortunate, to be precise.

     

  • JWT India crucified its CCO even as it emerged that Ford endorsed entry of Berlusconi ad at the Abby!

    #Scamadgate: After Bobby Pawar, will Ford marketing head also go? [Updated, Mar 28]

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Call it Holi Horror. The first casualty in the JWT-Ford mock-up of advertising is Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner of JWT’s office in India. Also sacked is Vijay Simha, VP and Senior Creative Director of Blue Hive or WPP-Global Team Ford that works as part of JWT India.

     

    But that’s a smaller thing, when you hear the really horrible piece of news: thatthe ads in question were also entered for the Creative Abby. In fact the information we have received is that they were also shortlisted for a metal. Could well have been winning a Grand Prix. (Update on March 28: We now learn that while the three ‘posters’ were indeed entered for the Creative Abby in the outdoor category, they were not shortlisted. The three were part of the 13 Ford entries that were entered by JWT. All 13 were subsequently withdrawn from the Creative Abby)

     

    The award was withdrawn after the controversy erupted and the India office of JWT put out a communiqué on Tuesday evening that a probe was conducted and those accountable were dispensed with.

     

    The industry grapevine had it that the sack was delivered to Pawar, who was brought into JWT was desperate for a creative leader. However, the JWT spokesperson refuse to divulge to MxMIndia the number of people who’ve exited or their names. Sad that the best brains in marketing communications screw it up when it comes to sending a simple message: Yes, we effed it up, but all is well.

     

    There was shock in the international community when this writer tweeted about it around a little before sunrise on Wednesday. One senior professional wrote back to us with this: “I didn’t realize they’d entered the ads for awards, which is a very serious infraction.

     

    Infraction it is, but the question that everyone is asking is that how could the ad be entered at the Creative Abby without the express approval from the marketing team at Ford? “The investigation over what happened is ongoing,” Ford spokesperson Chris Preuss told Advertising Age. “Obviously, appropriate actions will be taken up to and including the dismissal of individuals who were found to be culpable,” Ad Age quotes Mr Preuss (link: http://adage.com/article/global-news/jwt-india- sacks-staffers-responsible-offensive-ford-ad/240555/).

     

    So, will we see heads roll at Ford India? We think they should if indeed someone out there issued approvals. MxMIndia believes it’s wrong to only nail Messrs Pawar and Simha, though they may well be responsible for what happened. It’s time for the marketing head at Ford to step down. Corroborating the sentiment that’s being discussed much in adland, a senior member of the A&M fraternity told us: “Why penalize only the agency… didn’t the client sign the Abby form?”

     

    For the record, at Ford India, Vinay Piparsania is Executive Director of Marketing, Sales and Service and Sriram Padmanabhan is Vice President, Marketing. When asked for a response on how Ford had endorsed the Abby application and a few other questions, Deeptie Sethi, Head of Communications at Ford India, wrote to us: “We have a process to investigate internal matters, and as such, we are conducting an investigation to determine how this happened. Once the investigation is complete we will take the appropriate action, if needed.”

    There are decidedly more questions than answers. There’s got to be a way to put a check on scam ads. The emphasis that marketers and agencies put on winning awards has to come down.

     

    Read a detailed analysis tomorrow

     

  • The Indian bosses at Ford and JWT may have tendered their apologies, but is that enough? Not everyone thinks that justice has been done. Meanwhile, what about our own Markandey Katju? Time to send him packing?

    Mediaah! Should Ford sack JWT India for ad mishandling? + Cut the Katju!

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    Harsh headline? Should JWT indeed be crucified or should we let the agency off by allowing it to nail a few bachchas and then let the whole thing be forgotten?

     

    Yes, before we have someone saying that MxMIndia is shying away from taking on the high and mighty of advertising and marketing, here’s our two-bit, laced with comments from the Twitterati across the world.

     

    If the work of posting unapproved ad creatives is the handiwork of some upstart blokes – creative, client servicing whosever – then they ought to be asked to play Holi for the rest of their lives.

     

    For those not in the know, BusinessInsider broke the story of ad creatives posted on adsoftheworld.com one of which saw former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi with a set of gagged, wailing women in the trunk of a car. The creatives have since been withdrawn from the creative showcase.

     

    The apologies handed out are mere words of regret. It smacks of a cover-up. Ask anyone working in an agency of moderate size and you’ll be told that work such as this can’t not be seen and approved by the client and must have the blessings of the seniors.

     

    Okay, so it’s not that people don’t make mistakes. They do, and it would be nicer if the biggies involved were to own up to the act rather than blame kids at the agency.

     

    What they haven’t bargained for is that if there is indeed some funny stuff happening, it won’t take too long for it out to be on the social media.

     

    One industry captain texted us last evening to ask if there was a Chapter 2 to the Ford story? And added an extra-large smiley. We don’t know, but what we do know is that it could well be the beginning of an all-new story.

     

    Meanwhile, check this:

    1. The BusinessInsider.com story with the offensive creatives and the apologies from Ford and WPP: http://www.businessinsider.com /awful-ford-figo-ad-silvio-berlunsconi-gagged-women-2013-3 and http://www.businessinsider.com/ford-wpp-apologizes-for-offensive-car-ad-2013-3

     

    2. Since it’s not just about Silvio Belrunsconi but also about Paris Hilton and the Kardashian sisters, it also features in Hollywood chroniclers: http://hollywoodlife.com/2013/03/24/ford-kardashians-ad-leaked-poster-paris-hilton/

     

    3.  The much respected Slate.com had this damning comment titled ‘Ford India needs to fire its advertising execs’: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2013/03/22/ford_india_should_probably_fire _its_ad_execs_for_depicting_bound_and_gagged.html

     

    4. On Twitter, reactions bordered from the extreme to the moderate. Sample this:

    Tom Becktold ‏@becktold: With the Ford/JWT India debacle, check your partner contracts to make sure spec creative cannot be shared. Shouldn’t need to, but..

    Louise Ridley ‏@LouiseRidley: JWT India taking serious action after ads featuring Silvio Berlusconi with gagged women in a car boot appeared online http://bit.ly/14jwKYP

    Seth Cargiuolo ‏@carge77: RT @rachebrun: Dear @Ford, you have no excuse. your ad is inexcusable: http://mashable.com/2013/03/25/ford-apologizes -for-ad-in-india-kardashians/…

    << Ford should sack JWT India, no question.

     

    5. There was also some debate. Like this one:

    Piyush Pankaj ‏@piyushpankaj: @sshibad u can’t hold agency responsible for this as ad would have passed through various brand managers at Ford India as well

    Sunil Shibad ‏@sshibad: @piyushpankaj I think some juniors did it for ad awards. I doubt Ford India even saw it.

     

    So did someone say Goafest 2013 is going to be a li’l dry this year given the absence of Ogilvy at the creative Abby? Well, now, there’s going to be a fair deal of action. And we’ll be waiting for that someone to get plastered and talk. Wicked us.

     

    Cut the Katju!

    Over the last two years, Markandey Katju has become a household name given his various outbursts, all of which have provided much fodder to us in the news media. Often, we’ve even been happy with what he’s said. For, Katju can be expected to shoot his mouth off on anything… and until now he appears to be getting away with it.

     

    But, remember, he’s also the Press Council of India chairman. And although the organization has got no teeth and the only print journalists who care much about it are those on its committees, it’s an important position and the Press Council’s role is quasi-regulatory.

     

    His appeal to the Governor to let Sanjay Dutt off is bizarre, his arguments are outlandish. Apart from serving the needs of the government to needle journalists and media organizations and providing some comic relief, Katju has done precious little as Press Council chief.  I think his time is up. He ought to go. Doesn’t any little country in South America or wherever need an Ambassador?

     

    Pradyuman Maheshwari can be reached at @pmahesh on Twitter and 29fea79c via BBM. The views expressed here are his own.

     

  • Ford India has sacked its employee who cleared the controversial ad for entry to Goafest

    #Scamadgate: Ford sacks employee who cleared ads + MxM View

    By A Correspondent

     

    After MxMIndia first wrote that Ford India is equally responsible for #Scamadgate given that the Abby entry was approved by its marketing head (reportedly someone at the level of vice president), Ford India has issued a statement: ”We deeply regret this incident and agree with WPP that it should have never happened. The posters are contrary to our values and everything we believe in at Ford. We sincerely apologize that they ever were created. After internal reviews, both Ford and WPP have taken appropriate actions. We take this very seriously. Together with WPP, we are reviewing our processes and increasing our education efforts to help ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

     

    The “appropriate actions” haven’t been elaborated on by Ford’s spokesperson Deeptie Sethi. While Ms Sethi doesn’t give us the name, a report in the Detroit Free Press quotes Jim Farley, Ford’s head of global marketing, as saying in an interview that the Ford India employee who approved and signed off the award for the Abby “no longer works for Ford” (link: http://www.freep.com/article/20130328/BUSINESS0102/130328066/3-employees-at-Ford-of-India-fired-over-controversial-ads).

     

    MxMIndia has the name of the person who signed off the ads for the Abby, but given that there’s no official confirmation at the time of writing, we are not revealing her/his name. What we do know is that the people helming the marketing department at Ford India are: Vinay Piparsania who is Executive Director of Marketing, Sales and Service and Sriram Padmanabhan who is Vice President, Marketing.

     

    Update/Mar 29, 12.30pm:

    When quizzed further to identify the employee who has been dispensed with, Ms Seth said: “The Ford India employee no longer is with the company. Per our policy, we will not identify the individual publicly.”

     

    MxM View: While MxMIndia is aware of the name of the person whose services have been terminated with, we will not proactively reveal it. While part of the reason is that we do not have official confirmation, we also believe it will be unfair to the employee, his/her family and to the organisation. We didn’t want to do this with Bobby Pawar and Vijay Simha, but by early morning the name was public. It appeared that JWT India folks didn’t mind the media carrying the names, as it showed the client that they have cleansed themselves. We believe it is an unfortunate development. The fact of the matter is that both organisations do not appear to have any clear policy on scam ads, and all the stuff about standards etc is BS. If there was a policy in place, we wouldn’t have had the scam ads in the first place! We urge JWT India/WPP and Ford India to do their bit to ensure their ex-employees are rehabilitated. That will be their good deed for the Holy Weekend.

     

    See also: Ball in Ford India’s court now,

    Mediaah!: After Bobby Pawar, will Ford marketing head also go?

     

  • MxMIndia Editor-at-Large Anil Thakraney analyses the issues thrown up by the JWT-Ford scam ad controversy, and puts things in perspective

    #Scamadgate | Anil Thakraney: Let’s face the facts

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    For many creative people, it’s not been a long weekend to celebrate. I noticed there was high action on social media, as folks got busy venting over Bobby Pawar’s unfortunate sacking. While on one level I am delighted to witness this ‘standing up for a colleague’ campaign, must say that in all the furious excitement, people seem to have overlooked some key considerations. Also, I could not help but notice a similarity between the outcry and another campaign that’s underway simultaneously: And that’s ‘Pardon for Sanjay Dutt’. In one case, Bollywood has launched a massive PR drive to save their ‘hero’. And in the other one, ad land is seeking justice for their own fallen star. Both campaigns have one thing in common: Lost in emotion, we aren’t able to view the situations objectively.

     

    So allow me to deal with the main arguments put out by the creative people:

    It’s not a scam, the posters were approved by the client: This is technically correct. If a Ford executive endorsed the ads, they become official work. And the news is that Ford has sacked the concerned employee. This seems fair. However, that still doesn’t change the fact that these ads were created purely for winning awards, that they were never intended for media usage, and therefore they still fall in the ‘scams’ category. In my previous post, I have already discussed the issue of scam ads, and on what needs to be done thereof. Scam ads are rampant in the ad world, several guys and gals do it. But the JWT gang got caught with their hands in a very messy scam, and therefore there had to be retribution.

     

    Bobby Pawar is the convenient ‘fall guy’: Ermm, not really. When work produced by an ad agency brings global disrepute to a client (as has happened in this case), the buck must stop at the desk of the creative chief. The captain has to take full responsibility of his ship, that’s the right way to go about professional life. Sacking only the crazed, award-hungry youngsters is a cop-out, that would send the wrong signals. Also, now that it’s clear that Ford had indeed endorsed this work, it’s no longer a case of some stupid kids jerking off in the back office. JWT’s responsibility becomes total and absolute. And the leader of the pack becomes directly accountable.

     

    But shouldn’t Colvyn Harris have been punished too?: Supporters of this line of argument believe thus: Why must only creative people suffer when advertising is supposed to be team work. And that surely there were servicing people involved in this campaign. Also, as the big JWT India boss, Harris should have been the one to pay. Indeed there is merit in this argument, and am hoping that the client services director who approved this work has been sacked too. However, I am against the idea of penalizing the agency CEO. For the simple reason that Harris would (assumedly) leave the charge of all creative work to his NCD, that’s the professional thing to do. That’s why you hire a national creative director at a very high cost, so that he/she controls the agency’s output. Therefore, logically, that’s where the buck must stop. Let me give you a parallel: If a newspaper runs a false, misleading, illegal story, it’s the editor who will get axed, and not the publisher. Even though bringing out a newspaper is teamwork.

     

    The agency should have stood up for its creative people: I entirely agree with this point of view. If you are expecting your creatives to raise the bar, be prepared to back their edgy work. If you are reluctant to do so, stick to hiring only the safe players. So far, so good. However, in Ford Figo’s case, the creatives didn’t raise the bar, they lowered it to a new low (refer to the para below). And this resulted in a very angry large multinational client, a client that the agency had to assuage, or risk losing forever. Some senior blood had to spill, and Sir Martin Sorrell himself would have been left not very amused if it hadn’t. So before you trash Colvyn Harris (and I carry no candle for him), you must also view this issue from his angle; perhaps the CEO had no choice. I am quite certain if this work had happened for a local, small-time mosquito coils maker, Bobby Pawar would still be inside his cabin. These are harsh realities of the global world, and we have to accept them.

     

    These ads are tongue-in-cheek, we’ve lost the ability to laugh: I must tell you I am always first in queue to back work that challenges the acceptable boundaries. All along in my career, both in media and advertising, I have landed in trouble for believing and indulging in this principle. I am also always ready for a good laugh; safe and boring work pisses me off, my ad reviews will tell you that. But to create a campaign where women are projected as ‘mobile commodity’ is being totally insensitive to the gruesome rapes that keep happening every other day in India, often inside moving vehicles, AND THAT IS NOT FUNNY. If you find these ads hilarious, you need to get your head examined and your values sorted. This nation is deeply misogynistic, and women have been paying a heavy price on account of this sick mindset for a very long time. So please get this right: If you can’t be a part of the solution, for god’s sake don’t be a part of the problem.

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are personal. Follow him at @anilthakraney.