Actress Poonam Pandey’s stunt of faking her death from cervical cancer as part of a marketing campaign has sparked widespread backlash. She collaborated with creative agency Schbang for the ploy, which alleged a mission to raise awareness about cervical cancer. The agency and Pandey both defended their actions, believing in the cause promoted by the campaign.
This isn’t the only incident of a controversial marketing gimmick. A popular FM station from HT Media Group, Fever FM, announced the cessation of its operations, later revealed as a rebranding exercise. Meanwhile, HDFC Bank joined hands with Norah Fatehi for their ‘What the Fraud’ campaign, featuring a deepfake of Fatehi on Instagram under the guise of a promotional video for a clothing brand, Lulumelon.
However, initiatives like these may erode trust in media and celebrities due to the prevailing trend of fake news dissemination in India. Founder and Managing Partner of Shift Axis, Dhunji S. Wadia called the Poonam Pandey’s death a “pathetic PR stunt”, stating that it increased awareness around her more than the disease itself.
Commenting on the issue, Ayushman Chiranewala, CMO of Dr Agarwal’s Group of Eye Hospitals, stated that advocating for a cause should involve empathy and cognizance regarding the campaign’s repercussions. Amit Sethiya, Head Marketing, Syska Group, calls for a fine line between desperation and aspiration, cautioning brands about potential risks.
Laj Salam, Founder of Plainspeak, feels that regulators should intervene to curb this kind of marketing, terming it as ‘crude’ and irresponsible. He also feels the methods used by HDFC and Fever FM to advertise are in bad taste.
Sandeep Goyal, Chairman of Rediffusion, shares the belief that such deceptive marketing injects disbelief and hurts trust in brands. Kiran James, Head of Global Marketing at Muthoottu Mini, states that brands need to address potential repercussions to maintain longterm trust.
Baatul Turab, a Marketing professional, said that the stunt of faking one’s death, also known as pseudocide, is too far in the name of marketing as it trivializes the experiences of actual cancer survivors.
Source: From Death pranks to Deepfakes- marketing at ethical cross roads .
