Tanishq ad sparked a 'movement'; many buying products to make point: Campaign's agency

The creators of the now-withdrawn Tanishq advertisement on Tuesday said that more number of people have seen the commercial as the controversy also created a "movement" and many people are buying Tanishq products to take a stand. 

"The ad showed realities and, after the controversy, a silent majority of people has started speaking out against a vocal minority," according to Amit Akali, Managing Partner and Creative Head of 'Whats Your Problem', the agency behind the advertisement campaign.

'Tanishq is a brave client'

Speaking to the news agency PTI, he also asserted that no one would have expected the backlash because "communal harmony is the centre of our fabric".

On withdrawing the advertisement, he called Tanishq a "brave" company that considered the safety of employees in the face of the controversy.  "I would have taken exactly the same decision if I would have been in the client's shoes. Nothing is more important than the safety of an employee. It is a brave client and the client took a stance for the safety of its employees," he said.

"People are going out there and telling us that we will not let this film get deleted, they are sharing the film on their own even though it has been removed. Or there is a movement where people are buying Tanishq and showing us the bills," Akali said.

'Ekatvam' campaign will continue

Making it clear that the intent behind the campaign was just to show cultural realities which gel well with a brand's promise, and not political at all, Akali said the broader 'Ekatvam' or unity campaign of Tanishq will continue.

He said the advertisement which ran into the controversy was part of a broader campaign called 'Ekatvam', wherein the jewellery brand has tied up with 1,000 craftsmen across 15 cultures of India to launch a collection. He exuded confidence that history will look at the campaign as a "watershed moment" from a marketing perspective where a brand spoke what it wanted to. 

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The Tata Group had chosen to withdraw the 55-second Tanishq advertisement, which shows a Muslim mother-in-law caring for her pregnant Hindu daughter-in-law, in the wake of a furore online and displeasure among certain groups for alleged communal tones.

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(With PTI inputs)