I
do not know how many people have posted mentioning how Cadbury (the confectionary
company) sells its products. In one sentence, they use “ragging” freshmen
students in college (in Delhi this is illegal and in other parts of India, it
is at least definitely looked down upon). And to add insult to injury, they
bring in the plastic sentiment of, “I am doing what my mother told me.” Gag me
with a spoon, please.
I
do not know which genius (a perverted one he must be) thought of this sales campaign. But it
is truly discouraging that neither the advertisement agency nor the company
picked up its glaring implications.
There
will be no college in which the scenario being played out will be allowed, I am positive. And, the company has not yet been dragged down to court, at least under
charges of “truth in advertising.” It would have been even better had it been
charged with promoting illegal activities (at least in Delhi).
The
advertisement in question stares you in your face during IPL matches, watched
by youngsters. Oh, we must be proud of the values we are instilling in them –
you may do anything, legal, illegal and borderline things, in the quest for
increasing sales.
Jai
Hind!
Raghuram
Ekambaram
7 comments:
Ragging should be fun. The ad is ok as far as it can CONVERT ragging into fun. I'm for conversions.
But India has become a playground of criminals - criminals who don the garb of politicians and businessmen. Hence the tragedy.
I felt the same way you did Raghu about the ad. It just seemed to indicate that you can get away if you have a cadbury in your pocket.
Ravi
Matheikal,
The threshold of fun is essentially indefinable and that is precisely why ragging has been made illegal, I tend to think.
RE
Hi Ravi,
Thanks for feeling likewise. I had seen the ad over the past four or five weeks but the confluence of the ad with Mother's Day triggered a violent reaction in me. The result: the post!
RE
As per my recent discussion with my colleague, if there is a disclaimer (even nano size) saying that ragging is illegal, I take back my criticism of the ad.
RE
I did not like the ad either. It in its own way justified ragging
Yes pala, and add to it, the crass sentimental tug, "My mom told me so!"
RE
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