Swiss FMCG brand Nestle is in the middle of a controversy due to a recent ad campaign. As a part of this campaign, the KitKat wrapper features a picture of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Mata Subhadra.
Netizens were less than excited about this new KitKat ad campaign and they said that these wrappers will be found in trashcans, gutters and many will walk over it once people are finished with the chocolate.
After receiving flak for their recent ad, the FMCG giant said that these “KitKat travel break packs are meant to celebrate beautiful local destinations”. They added the visual was inspired by the Odisha government’s tourism website and that their past campaigns have also shown that consumers like to collect such designs. Nestle further added, “We do understand the sensitivity of the matter and regret if we have inadvertently hurt anyone’s sentiment. With immediate action we had already initiated withdrawal of these packs from the market. We thank you for your understanding and support.”
This, however, is not the first time that Nestle is in the news for controversial ad campaigns. In April last year, the company was in the news for erroneously stating that Keibul Lamjao National Park is in Meghalaya. The national park is actually in Manipur. Environment activist Licypriya Kangujam condemned Nestle in a tweet. Kangujam tweeted, “Hi Nestle, Nestle India, KitKat! You are not just the leading plastics polluter in the world, you are also insulting the people of Manipur by putting misinformation in your cover saying our pride Keibul Lamjao National Park is in Meghalaya. This is unacceptable. Apologies asap!”
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