For a promotion campaign aimed at highlighting work stress, an Indian charm support start-up has found itself in the spotlight.
People were informed that Yes Madam had decided to “part methods” with those who reported experience stressed at work a few days ago when an internal email from the business went viral on social media.
The start-up, however, clarified on Tuesday that it had not fired anyone and that the social media posts were a “planned effort to highlight the major topic of office anxiety.”
The strategy has sparked mixed emotions online, with some applauding it for bringing attention to a crucial subject and others criticizing the organization for deceiving persons and” toying” with their feelings.
In addition, some people claimed that the plan had succeeded in bringing a nearly unthinkable brand into the fame in a matter of hours.
” Free advertising done correctly, huh? Who needs a advertising budget when you have anger as your social media manager? one users posted on Linked In.
This is not the first time a start-up has drawn criticism for engaging in a dubious promotion strategy.
The leader of an Indian food delivery service system received bouquets and brickbats last month after posting a job starting for the position of” chief of staff” but stated that the candidate would have to dedicate two million pounds to the non-profit organization’s non-profit organization’s goal of providing food to the bad.
He later claimed that more than 10,000 persons had applied for the position, but he hadn’t specified if anyone had really been hired for it.
A famous person faced a significant reaction online in February after she faked her death to raise awareness of cervical cancers. Some users claimed that those who had actually lost friends and loved ones to the disease found the publicity stunt to be extremely traumatizing.
Eventually, the campaign’s marketing team apologized, but these conflicts haven’t stopped companies from pushing the limits of advertising to ridiculous heights.
Brand experts contend that while using these marketing gimmicks may enable a manufacturer become famous, they do not always improve the company’s longevity or success.
On the contrary, it might do it more harm than good.
According to Karthik Srinivasan, a brand and communications expert, manufacturers need to understand the distinction between telling a blatant lie and exaggeration.
Understatement is a recognized and effective marketing tactic whereby a company presses the boundaries of reality to prove a point, he claims. However, he adds,” The understatement is but obvious or overt that a buyer isn’t possible or expected to believe it.”
He gives an example of the Blade fragrance ads, which frequently feature a scrawny-looking man becoming a magnetism for women as soon as he spritzes himself with the deodorant.
Then there was rapper Snoop Dogg, who made headlines last year for announcing that he would be “giving up smoke”, only to reveal that he was actually talking about using a smokeless fire pit of a particular brand.
In both situations, the misrepresentations are so severe that they are about awkwardly impossible.
” But telling a blatant lay has no place in social advertising”, Mr Srinivasan says.
Brands participate in such extreme efforts because they can get a lot of attention with little to no money. According to Mr. Srinivasan, the goal is to find subjects that are likely to sputter out strong opinions, ensuring that people will continue to participate in the campaign regardless of whether they like it or not.
In the case of the viral campaign by the beauty start-up, the company’s email touched a chord with many professionals, who then shared it on their LinkedIn or X ( formerly Twitter ) profiles, criticising the company for its insensitivity and lack of care towards its employees.
” Firing someone for being stressed at work is a serious problem and was undoubtedly going to elicit strong reactions,” says Mr. Srinivasan.
But such efforts can damage a product or a bank’s reputation in the eyes of its personnel and customers, he adds. A brand may struggle to shake off the damaging publicity associated with an indifferent ad campaign, according to the statement,” Credibility and trust take time to develop.”
Mayank Sehgal, a marketing expert, echoes a similar watch.
” It’s important for companies to prioritise ethical marketing techniques and prevent using person’s thoughts as a tool for self-promotion”, he says.
” While attention-grabbing strategies does work in the short term, they inevitably erode confidence and damage brand popularity”.
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