The week that was: Round up of Campaigns, News and Trends

[Image] Round Up of the Week Dear reader, This week was a roller coaster for Indian brands. [Zomato]( its recent ad featuring Aditya Lakhia, actor who plays ‘Kachra’ in the 2001 movie ‘Lagaan’. The [ad]( released on World Environment Day and received backlash for being tone-deaf. The [campaign]( slammed for drawing comparison between object and waste and the marginalised character. [Image] The incident emphasized why representation matters and the significance of conducting thorough market research before launching an advertising campaign. On the other hand, edtech platform Upgrad also landed in trouble and was called out for using Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s name and likeness in its latest ad campaign. [Image] While one brand did not think about how its campaign would be perceived and took a rather dehumanising approach, the other used a famous personality's likeness without his consent. It is important for brands today to exercise caution and sensitivity when creating and launching advertising campaigns, considering cultural nuances, conducting thorough research, and being responsive to customer feedback. Simultaneously, AI's adoption in India is rapidly increasing. As per a recent LinkedIn report, 9 in 10 B2B marketing leaders in India are considering to increase use of Generative AI as optimism returns. And with [Salesforce]( Marketing GPT & Commerce GPT for marketers, the use of AI in advertising is only slated to go up from here. Apart from that, this week, we took a deep-dive into some marketing case studies that are worth learning from. We spoke to[Puneet Das of Tata Consumer Products on GenZ]( consumers and how Tetley’s marketing journey is shifting with changing consumer mindset. [Image] We looked into[Zara Hatke Zara Bachke's movie marketing strategy]( which revolved around Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan exploring India's culture and cuisine. Last but not least, we visited the times when Hutch’s pug ad was launched and compared it with the present when Dunzo's new sobbing cats have become a marketing template to understand what works about pets in the marketing landscape. [Image] That's all from the house of Samosa this week. Have a fun weekend. PS: If you are based in Mumbai, remember to carry your umbrellas today. :) Regards, Karuna Head of Content Social Samosa If you no longer wish to receive mail from us, you can [unsubscribe]( Social Samosa, 703, Cosmos Plaza, J.P. Road, D.N. Nagar Metro Station , Andheri West, Mumbai, Maharastra, 400053, India