Mumbai: Following a social media backlash over its controversial deo ads, and after being called out by the ministry of information and broadcasting (MIB) and the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), the Layer’r Shot brand issued a clarification statement, including an apology on Monday.
The statement, however, judging by the responses it received on social media, appears to have done little to quell the outrage surrounding the brand’s films. If anything, it only seems to have fanned the flames of netizen’s outrage even further.
Here’s the statement from the brand:
The statement, while referencing the two recent advertisements from the brand on broadcasting platforms, informs everyone that the brand “aired the advertisements only after due and mandatory approvals.”
It further added that it never intended to “hurt anyone’s sentiments or feelings or outrage any women’s modesty or promote any sort of culture, as wrongly perceived by some.”
“However, we sincerely apologise for the advertisements that consequently caused rage amongst individuals & several communities and beg their pardon.” also read the letter, while adding that it has voluntarily informed all its media partners to stop the telecast/ broadcasting of both the TV advertisements from 4 June 2022.
It may be noted that on the same day (4 June), the MIB had written to social media platforms -Twitter and YouTube to remove all instances of the two “inappropriate & derogatory” ads with immediate effect. The TV channel on which it appeared had already pulled it down on its directions, the ministry had tweeted
The internet was scathing in its response to what several netizens termed as a poor and even fake attempt at apology. Most of the users took exception to the choice of words used in the apology, specifically the words “wrongly perceived” with regards to people’s perception of the offending ads.
It wasn’t wrongly perceived, wrote a user, continuing: “It was perceived exactly the way you meant it to be perceived. Don’t try to pretend like you weren’t demeaning women and implying sexual assault in your ads. It was your whole hook.”
Not wrongly perceived. What was the story, and what was the implied meaning? Why did the female lead expression change? Pls can you reveal.. @layerr_shot so we can be sure that it was wrongly perceived.
Another user-determined: “This is not an apology. You know what you did. You know why you did it.”
Yet another fumed at the alleged audacity of the brand to term the public’s response as wrongly perceived, further adding: It’s also kinda sickening that it went through several people who found it to be okay.
A Twitterati called out the brand’s marketing department and corporate communication team, stating that they ought to be “case studies on how to spend money to earn infamy.”
Accusing the brand to be still in denial of its wrongdoing, an apology with a comment of how the viewers “Wrongly perceived it.. Is not an apology.” And another added, “You need to apologise for this apology too!”
“Pretty bad ad. The agency partners, brand team, approval team and conceptualization teams, are all at fault. A fake apology like this won’t help!” schooled another user.
Another netizen was outraged against the brand for its attempt to blame the audience. “This reflects on the toxicity of the unevolved brains behind this ad. They are blaming the audience. Every script has an insight behind it; the girls’ disgusted face (reaction) when the group of boys say those uncouth words is a clear indication that u knew!,” she wrote.
Some were severe in their indictment of the brand’s attempt at clarification, writing: Really? This is an apology? Didn’t the story in the advertisement cause rage among people in the meeting room when the advertisement was pitched. The ad has gangrape culture on full display and your product henceforth will smell like rape on the users. Shut it down.
For the unversed, the outrage is against two recent ads promoting the Layer’r Shot brand’s deo. The ads can be viewed here:
The first one of the offending ads features a couple getting intimate in a bedroom. Four of the guy’s friends barge into the room, sneering at the couple and asking a seemingly loaded and crude question. After a few moments of suspense, wherein the girl is seen visibly getting alarmed at what the guys’ true intentions are, the ad reveals that the friends were simply asking if they can use the Shot deo kept in the room!
The second ad plays out along similar lines, where the four men are showcased indulging in an animated conversation at a supermarket. A woman is shown in the forefront, while they discuss who will take the “shot” since there are four of them and just one of “it”. Again, the ad plays on the fear factor of the woman, as she looks back in alarm at the four men, only to find that they are talking about the single bottle of the Shot deo left in the store, while the ad makes it look as if they are talking about the woman.
Earlier, while referencing the action taken on the ads, ASCI CEO & secretary general Manisha Kapoor told Indian Television that: “An ad goes through many layers of discussions and approvals, and it is very disappointing that such ads were not weeded out.”
Everyone in the ecosystem has a role to play, including the advertiser, agency, production partners, and endorsers, she further added.
The ads, however Kapoor clarified, are not conceptualised by Triton Communications as several publications wrongly stated initially. In fact, the advertisements are an in-house creation.
The ministerial action came after several netizens flagged the offensive video commercials, accusing them of promoting rape culture and trivialising sexual violence against women, and being plain creepy.
The advertising self-regulatory body, ASCI also suspended the ads after finding them to be in serious breach of its code and against the public interest.
