About a week back, Café Leopold’s in Mumbai was in the news for selling specially designed mugs as souvenirs, a year after 26/11, the day when terrorists broke fire at the popular eatery, followed by a day-long siege of the Taj Mahal Hotel.
The gesture of specially designed mugs offended many, attracted the ire of Shiv Sena activists, while the rest were neutral to the entire issue. The mugs were withdrawn.
Around the same time, Idea Cellular launched a campaign, urging their subscribers to make as many calls for an hour on 26/11. The net income on those calls would be donated to the police to buy better security gear. The gesture was discussed by the readers of this site here.
The Hindustan Times asked clients to advertise more in the newspaper, promising to donate 10% of the advertising revenue generated in the days leading up to 26/11 and some days after that for the cause.
There is no absolute conformity or support for the strategies adopted by the above brands. Some have questioned the move, citing sensitivity issues. Some don’t care. And the rest, don’t mind.
What do you think? Is it right for brands to associate themselves with such traumatic events? If yes, what's the best way to do it? Where does one draw the line?
Please use the comments section to share your thoughts or write in to [email protected].
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