 |
Creativity Vs. Offence: Ogilvy & Mather’s Sleepless Nights Over Kurl-on
Abstract
This case discusses the controversial Kurl-on ad campaign created by Ogilvy & Mather India (O&M) featuring caricatures of Malala Yousafzai (Malala), a Pakistani student activist. The ad, one in a series of three print ads titled ‘Bounce Back’, featured a series of cartoon images of Malala being shot in the head, falling back covered in blood, being put on a drip, and then bouncing off a Kurl-on mattress and recovering to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. The ad drew flak from all quarters for being offensive and for using a horrific tragedy to sell a product. The case discusses the global outrage caused by the ad and how it affected the brand image of O&M. It highlights ethical issues in advertising and why a company has to take care while treading the fine line between creativity and ethical considerations in advertising a product. |
|
Issues
The case is structured to achieve the following teaching objectives:
- Understand the importance of ethics in advertising.
- Understand the implications of using content in ads that may be perceived as being offensive.
- Study the issues involved in the controversial Kurl-on mattress ad.
- Understand the need to balance creativity and ethics in advertising.
| Contents |
| INTRODUCTION |
| OGILVY & MATHER |
| KURL-ON |
| MALALA YOUSAFZAI |
| THE CONTROVERSIAL AD |
| THE BACKLASH |
| THE APOLOGY |
| LOOKING AHEAD |
| EXHIBITS |
Keywords
Ethics in advertising, Marketing communication, Creativity, Ogilvy & Mather, Offensive ad, ‘Bounce Back’ ad campaign, Malala Yousafzai
