The ad began doing the rounds after a video showed IndiGo staffer assaulting a passenger
New Delhi:
Soon after a video of an IndiGo staffer assaulting and manhandling a passenger on the tarmac went viral, an advertisement, seemingly by rival Jet Airways, started doing the rounds on social media. The ad, bearing Jet Airways' logo, took a swipe at IndiGo for the incident. On Twitter, several people, many of them with verified accounts, shared the creative and praised the ad for its clever marketing and timing. Except, its origin remained unknown. The image didn't exist on any of Jet Airways' social media accounts.
"We beat our competition, not you," reads the text.
Well, surprise surprise, the ad was indeed fake. The airline confirmed on Twitter that the image was not commissioned by them and it was, in fact, in "bad taste".
In fact, the creative was done by Mad Over Marketing. In a statement to NDTV, Founder Siddhant More said the creative was not done in association with Jet Airways and it was merely their take on it.
"We had explicitly called out in the original post itself that the creative was NOT issued by Jet Airways and that the brand was not associated with it. However, we sincerely regret any confusion or inconvenience that may have been caused due to this," said the statement.
A Google search of the text would tell you that the ad in itself isn't original. It comes from a mock slogan for Southwest Airlines that was being shared online after a passenger was dragged off a United Airlines flight in April.
A video from October 15 shows passenger Rajeev Katiyal being dragged and assaulted on the tarmac at Delhi airport by the IndiGo staff. The employee who filmed the video was sacked by the budget airline, while only warning letters were issued to the staffers seen in the video. Despite the CEO Aditya Ghosh's personal apology to the passenger, IndiGo continues to face anger on social media.
"We beat our competition, not you," reads the text.
Interesting advertising #timing pic.twitter.com/Oy7hnIY2ar
— Harsh Goenka (@hvgoenka) November 8, 2017
Great ad @jetairways pic.twitter.com/ZjUDYSLpgp
— Sunil Alagh (@sunilalagh) November 8, 2017
Well, surprise surprise, the ad was indeed fake. The airline confirmed on Twitter that the image was not commissioned by them and it was, in fact, in "bad taste".
Jet Airways Statement:
— Jet Airways (@jetairways) November 8, 2017
Jet Airways did not commission the creative being shared on social media platforms, in context of a recent event concerning another domestic airline.
The creative does not reflect our philosophy and ethos and is in fact, in bad taste.
In fact, the creative was done by Mad Over Marketing. In a statement to NDTV, Founder Siddhant More said the creative was not done in association with Jet Airways and it was merely their take on it.
"We had explicitly called out in the original post itself that the creative was NOT issued by Jet Airways and that the brand was not associated with it. However, we sincerely regret any confusion or inconvenience that may have been caused due to this," said the statement.
A Google search of the text would tell you that the ad in itself isn't original. It comes from a mock slogan for Southwest Airlines that was being shared online after a passenger was dragged off a United Airlines flight in April.
A video from October 15 shows passenger Rajeev Katiyal being dragged and assaulted on the tarmac at Delhi airport by the IndiGo staff. The employee who filmed the video was sacked by the budget airline, while only warning letters were issued to the staffers seen in the video. Despite the CEO Aditya Ghosh's personal apology to the passenger, IndiGo continues to face anger on social media.
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