New Delhi: The government has requested that two controversial advertisement for a body spray brand be removed from Twitter and YouTube after they triggered a significant backlash for encouraging “rape culture.” The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), which is part of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, judged the ad to be in “severe breach” of their code and against the public interest.
“The video is detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency or morality,” said the ministry
Responding to growing outrage over an advertisement by Layer’r Shot, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has stated that the ad is in “serious breach” of their code and against public interest.
After several users tagged the ASCI on Twitter asking them to “take it off the air”, the self-regulatory organisation wrote, “Thank you for tagging us. The ad is in serious breach of the ASCI Code and is against public interest. We have taken immediate action and notified the advertiser to suspend the ad, pending investigation.”
The two advertisement for Layer’r Shot’s body spray have gotten a lot of flak online. A group of guys and a lady appear in both videos, the first in a room and the second in a grocery shop. Several viewers found the men’s joke about taking a “shot” at the woman to be offensive and “disgusting.”
The advertisements are being broadcast on Sony Liv during the first Test match between England versus New Zealand.
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