An Indian startup company in the beauty service industry, Yes Madam, found itself at the center of a public outcry after an internal email surfaced stating that employees who reported feeling stressed at work would be "parting ways" with the company.
This email sparked widespread confusion as many believed the company had fired workers for reporting workplace stress. The company later clarified that no one had been terminated and the email was part of a planned publicity campaign to raise awareness about workplace stress.
According to BBC, it picked up so much speed online that within hours, the start-up's brand was everywhere. Some users even noted that such a provocative stunt may serve as a "free promotion" even in the face of negative reactions. The campaign has received mixed reactions; some people have appreciated the move as it brought an important issue to the notice of people, while others condemned the company for misleading them and playing with their sentiments.
Brand Experts React to PR Stunts
Brand experts have argued that though flashy marketing stunts might produce short-term publicity, such gimmicks do not guarantee long-term success for the brand.
In fact, those tactics can be disastrous because consumers and employees start considering the brand as unreliable and unethical. Yahoo News Canada shared that branding consultant Karthik Srinivasan stated that there should be a distinction between hyperbole and lying flat-out in advertising. He pointed out that although exaggerations in adverts, such as the one employed by Axe deodorant or Snoop Dogg's "giving up smoke" campaign, are undoubtedly unrealistic, blatant lies cannot be part of responsible advertisement.
Many brands use controversial or exaggerated campaigns because they generate a lot of reaction, and with this, there will surely be wide engagement, be it positive or negative. The viral campaign by Yes Madam was a classic example in that regard as the email itself had an emotional impact, and it made several working professionals post it on their social networking sites. The same type of marketing can ruin the credibility of the brand in the long run. Srinivasan said it's hard to recover a brand from negative publicity, especially from sensitive issues such as stress in the workplace.
Mayank Sehgal, a marketing consultant himself, also shares the similar point of view that one has to take care and respect the ethical marketing rules of the game. Brands can achieve publicity through people's emotions at first, but it might degrade the trust and mar the brand reputation in the long run.
For brands, bold marketing campaigns may mean being easily recognizable. However, they also run the risk of alienating consumers and employees. Experts share that companies must tread carefully to avoid crossing any ethical lines to avoid hurting their reputation and long-term viability.
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