The furore over Patanjali is unlikely to end anytime soon, if it continues with this brand of marketing.
After threatening to take ASCI to court after the self-regulatory body pulled up the desi FMCG challenger for its advertising, comes this Independence Day campaign likening MNCs to The East India Company.
Appropriating the nationalist positioning may indeed work for the brand. But it could be done far more powerfully, if done positively.
Asking consumers to boycott foreign companies is also in telling contrast to the government's stand on attracting investments. The leadership at Patanjali needs to take note of the Make in India movement and how it has been promoted.
On another front, Christian groups have called for a ban but that seems like an excess, given it's not the holy cross but the East India Company logo featured in the film. But it's still in bad taste.
If its belief is that all publicity is good publicity, god bless Patanjali.
