In another news regarding outrageous ads and outrage around them, Dabur withdrew its fem ad featuring lesbian couple after MP minister’s objection. The ad featured same-sex couple celebrating Karwa Chauth and received polarizing reactions online.

While some appreciated the progressive nature of the ad, others criticized the ad for being unnecessarily ‘woke’. Amid the backlash, MP minister Narottam Mishra criticized the ad and called out for its withdrawal. After the backlash, Dabur India issued a short statement, “unconditionally” apologizing for hurting people’s sentiments.

Contents hide
1. Background
2. The Facts of the Matter
3. What Did the Ad Show?
4. Netizens React to Dabur India’s Fem Ad
5. MP Minister Narottam Mishra Slams Ad
6. Dabur India Issues Apology

Background

Amid online trolling and bashing from netizens, ad game has turned into a mad game. While advertising in the past was encouraged for thinking out of the box and coming up with new perspectives, it’s a different ballgame these days.

Lately, several brands has been slammed-and-panned for “hurting religious sentiments” of people who take their outrage to Twitter. The ordeal more or less remains the same. A brand promotes their ad, a group of people create a hashtag around it and callout for brand’s boycott, the hashtag trends, the brand apologizes.

CEAT Tyres, FabIndia, Tanishq are the giants in their particular sectors. Yet, it didn’t take long for them to irk the Indian masses. Recently, Dabur India ventured into unchartered territories after promoting its brand through an ad which featured a lesbian couple.

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The Facts of the Matter

Good intentions never go unpunished. Recently, the notion was proven true when Dabur India’s recent ad campaign was forced to shut down after public heat. The consumer giant’s recently released ad for Fem Bleach was first panned by netizens, and then a Madhya Pradesh minister too slammed the ad in his press conference.

What Did the Ad Show?

The ad shows two women preparing themselves for their first Karwa Chauth, a Hindu day observed by women for a healthy and long lives of their husbands. The ad shows a woman applying bleach on her partner’s face.

Meanwhile, the women are seen talking about Karwa Chauth and its importance in our culture. Here, another woman joins them and she gives both of them a saree to wear for the night.

Cut to evening, the women can be seen facing each other with the traditional Karwa Chauth plate with them.  The voiceover says “glow with pride”.

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Netizens React to Dabur India’s Fem Ad

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MP Minister Narottam Mishra Slams Ad

Echoing the voice of angry netizens, Narottam Mishra, MP Home Minister called out Dabur India and threatened a legal action. The BJP minister slammed Dabur for promoting an ad that featured “lesbians celebrating Karwa Chauth” and added, “in future they will show two men taking feras (a ritual of Hindu wedding ceremony to officiate the wedding) also.”

The MP mister claimed that he had directed the police to issue an order of withdrawal of the ad and claimed that legal actions will be taken if the company fails to do so.

Dabur India Issues Apology

The consumer product giant on Tuesday withdrew its ad for Karwa Chauth after the backlash from netizens and MP Home Minister’s stern response. Dabur India issued a brief statement which read, “Fem’s Karwa Chauth campaign has been withdrawn from social media handles and we unconditionally apologise for unintentionally hurting people’s sentiments.”