Hindustan Unilever draws flak for new Brooke Bond Red Label ad film

This is the second instance in three months where HUL, also the country’s largest advertiser, has courted controversy over its commercial

Companies News: Hindustan Unilever (HUL), the country’s largest consumer goods company, is in the eye of a storm over an advertisement for tea brand Brooke Bond Red Label. Reactions have been so sharp that #boycotthindustanunilever was among the top five Twitter trends for a while on Thursday, with users, including yoga guru Baba Ramdev commenting about it.

The ad shows a man leaving his father in a crowd at the Kumbh before experiencing a change of heart. The video was first accompanied by a tweet, which went: “Kumbh Mela is a place where old people get abandoned, isn’t it sad that we do not care for our elders? Red Label encourages us to hold the hands of those who made us who we are: An eye opener to a harsh reality.”

The tweet has been replaced with a new one, but netizens are hardly impressed. The fresh tweet says: “Red Label encourages us to hold the hands of those who made us who we are. #ApnoKoApnao” In a statement, HUL’s spokesperson said, “Through the Brooke Bond Red Label campaign, our intention was to urge people to take care of the elderly. We do not intend to hurt the sentiments of people, and have modified the tweet which could have been inadvertently misconstrued.”

A screen grab of the video that shows a man trying to abandon his father at the Kumbh mela before returning to look for him A screen grab of the video that shows a man trying to abandon his father at the Kumbh mela before returning to look for him
This is the second instance in three months where HUL, also the country’s largest advertiser, has courted controversy over its commercial….