Special 
Advertising bodies have come together in support of the Tanishq ad that was pulled down after it received a lot of backlash. The ad that aimed to show unity and brotherhood faced severe criticism from a section of the society that felt it portrayed 'love jihad'. The Advertising Club said in a statement that after careful review they have come to a clear consensus that the Tanishq ad does not break any ethical standard and is not derogatory to any individual, organisation or religion. The International Advertising Association urged the government to take "exemplary action" to ensure that businesses are allowed to advertise their brand message in their own way.
"The Advertising Club on behalf of the Indian Media and Advertising Industry strongly condemns the threatening and targeting of Tanishq and its employees in regards to their latest advertisement on the new jewellery line. After review by our internal team consisting of multi-sectoral experts we have come to a clear consensus that the advertisement breaks no ethical standards, is not derogatory to any person, organisation or religion and does not hurt any national sentiment," said the advertising body.
#TanishqAd @AAAIOfficial @IAA_India pic.twitter.com/8dI9cBEKYH
The Advertising Club (@TheAdClub_India) October 14, 2020
The International Advertising Association India Chapter called the incident unfortunate and said that it strongly reiterates the fundamental right to express and receive commercial expression as guaranteed in the Constitution.
"While we respect the opinion of every individual on subjective matters, these should not descend to illegal threats and anti-social behavior. We appeal to the concerned governments to take a serious view of such intimidating behaviour and take exemplary action where required to ensure that businesses are provided a safe environment to communicate their brand advertising messages," said the IAA in a statement.
IAA steps up for freedom of lawful commercial expression.@rameshnarayan @skswamy @PradeepDwivedi @mtata0503 #tanishqadcontroversy @TanishqJewelry #advertisement pic.twitter.com/zBdhZYkIPz
IAA India Chapter (@IAA_India) October 14, 2020
Actress Divya Dutta who lent her voice to the ad also expressed her disappointment. Replying to a Twitter user who criticised the Tanishq ad, she said, "But Sir don't we all promote brotherhood?? We as India are all about that. That's our soul sir. Unity in diversity bachpan mein sunte the. Aise to kitne ads hote the. Koi kuch nai kehta tha.. par chalein sabke apne vichar!"
"We are deeply saddened by the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff," said Tanishq after it pulled down the ad from all platforms.
Also read: Divya Dutta who lent voice to Tanishq ad says brotherhood is India's soul
Also read: 'Warning for other brands': Tanishq's removal of Hindu-Muslim ad sets a bad precedent
Copyright©2025 Living Media India Limited. For reprint rights: Syndications Today
