Advertisements are one of the major marketing tools, and most widely used... and who does not like witty advertisements?
But a recent ad by the Bombay Shaving Company, a personal care and grooming brand, is receiving flak for its ad that turned a situation more problematic. The ad read: "Dear Prachi, They are trolling your HAIR today, they'll applaud your A.I.R. tomorrow."
Student trolled for facial hair
Prachi Nigam, Uttar Pradesh's Class X Board topper, who scored 98.5, attracted undue attention this year. Trolls on social media took to criticising her appearance, rather than celebrating her mettle. She was mocked for having facial hair.
The problem was highlighted by an X user, with the username @GabbarSingh. Posted on April 27, the tweet read, "Bombay Shaving Company does a full page ad for Prachi, The UP board topper, who was being trolled for facial hair. Haven’t seen something this desperate. This message goes to their own TG, not to the people who bullied her, hey pls remember to buy our razors while you shed a tear for her. Read the line on the bottom right. Laughable."
Marketing strategy poor in taste
While the message was to encourage Prachi, the advertisement failed miserably as it mentioned, "We hope you never get bullied into using our razor."
Many X users called it a gross neglect of the biological issues women face, and they further highlighted that this stunt may amplify the trolling that is already taking place.
They also say that this is more problematic as it may not have her consent. @GabbarSingh writes, "The kid would want this episode to end as soon as possible. But No! a brand wants to splash her name again. Without her consent. To sell their own razors. Very poor taste!"
Many branded it as empathy-based marketing and a method of exploiting the teen's perceived flaw.
