The last two weeks have seen the internet abuzz after a recent clip ousting an affair between two colleagues from American software solutions firm Astronomer at a Coldplay show in Boston went viral. What followed was a flood of memes, jokes and gossip about the firm’s CEO and HR head, who have since resigned. It was only a matter of time before brands swiftly jumped on to the bandwagon with their moment marketing campaigns.
From IKEA Singapore and Nando’s Australia to Duolingo and Pizza Hut Malaysia, brands have put their own spin on the scandal. In India, dairy brand Amul, known for its topical advertising, wasted no time in putting out an ad on X (formerly Twitter) with a reference to an old Bollywood tune, ‘hum tum ek camera mein band ho’ tying into the kiss cam moment and a punchline that read ‘only scoops, no oops!’
The ad saw a variety of reactions from consumers, some of them in praise of it and others finding it in poor taste. Commending the ad, American marketing veteran Jean Burke-Spraker said on LinkedIn, “Amul wins the internet with this one.” She lauded the brand for the choice of song from the 1973 film Bobby, and argued that Amul is not hopping on a trend unlike other brands and that the ad works well from a creative standpoint.
Not everyone agrees with Burke-Spraker. Some say it qualifies as ‘cringe marketing’. Calling it a big letdown and tone deaf, Vikas Nowal, CEO at Interspace Communications says, “Amul has long been one of my personal favourites for its consistent wit and cultural relevance. However, this particular one felt misplaced and in poor taste. Its past ads on the Tokyo Olympics, Indian budget and elections struck the right chords, so Amul knows what works well and it doesn’t have to take a cheap shot under the guise of creativity,” remarks Nowal.
Marketing and advertising experts agree that this was one viral video that brands should have stayed away from. Some like Nisha Sampath, managing partner, Bright Angles Consulting observes that the Coldplay ad just does not fit in with Amul’s brand culture.
On the wrong foot
While Amul seems to have left consumers with a bitter taste in the mouth, it’s not the first brand to come under social media fire. Last year, Bombay Shaving Company was criticised for capitalising on the online bullying that a topper faced for facial hair. Food delivery platform Zomato too found itself at the receiving end for its casteist messaging in a World Environment Day campaign a couple of years ago.
Given how quickly outrage spreads across social media today, what should brands do to prevent moment marketing gaffes? Sampath says that the biggest learning for brands in the wake of the Coldplay scandal is that not everything is fodder for brand communication. Advertisers should be careful to not abandon values that earn them consumer respect.
Says N Chandramouli, CEO of TRA Research, “Brands have no right to wade into someone’s private life or take a swipe at them when they’re already down. A brand cannot claim the moral high ground when it is using someone’s misfortune for its own gain. The Coldplay-gate incident has not just negatively impacted the two people in the incident but also their families.” He adds that most brand campaigns on the Coldplay incident have been tone deaf and insensitive.
Karthik Srinivasan, communications strategy consultant points out that brands need to have processes in place before going live with an ad campaign. “Always designate someone in the team as the ‘compulsive naysayer’ and ask them to counter the theme or idea as logically as possible. Then consider if your campaign theme can still be defended, or does the counter seem stronger, or more meaningful? This worst-case-scenario planning helps deal with the fires before they could happen, or avoid a fire entirely,” says Srinivasan.
On the flipside, he commends the affected company Astronomer for its response to the scandal, in which it roped in Gwyneth Paltrow (Coldplay frontman Chris Martin’s ex-wife) as ‘temporary spokesperson’.
When moment marketing backfired
- Bombay Shaving Company’s campaign in 2024 for capitalising on the online bullying of a student for her appearance
- Last year, several brands were issued legal notices for using shooter Manu Bhaker’s images in their campaigns after the Paris Olympics without her consent
- Model-actor Poonam Pandey faked her death in a campaign for cervical cancer awareness
- Zomato’s environment day campaign in 2023 that was slammed as casteist and elitist