One of the biggest online food delivery services in India, Swiggy, has been in trouble because of a recent ad campaign about the Hindu festival of Holi
The ad, which tells people to eat eggs during the festival, has gotten a lot of negative feedback on social media. Many people have called the company “Hinduphobic.”
Boycott Hinduphobic Swiggy trends on Twitter as company yet again mocks Hindus and Hindu festivals with Holi ad
Some people are angry about the ad campaign, and they have taken to social media to say so. Many people have criticised Swiggy for not putting up similar warnings during other religious holidays, like Christmas or Eid. Some angry users have even deleted the Swiggy app.
Everything is temporary but gyaan on Hindu Festivals is Permanent everytime..
Pic 1 – Swiggy posts in Eid and Christmas
Pic 2 – Swiggy poster in Holi #HinduPhobicSwiggy pic.twitter.com/0SqE1l6cRk
— TA 💫 (@Tirlovesha) March 7, 2023
Someone on Twitter wrote, “Swiggy did you put up the same billboard during Eid, asking Muslims to refrain from slaughtering goats or during Christmas urging Christians to not cut down trees? Keep your Hinduphobia out of our festivals and let us celebrate Holi the way we want.”
Holi is a festival that brings people together, but @Swiggy's actions are creating divisions. Company must take down the billboards, reel & Apologize for their insensitive behavior. As a brand that serves diverse communities, it's important to respect all #HinduPhobicSwiggy… https://t.co/4R9Q4r51LI pic.twitter.com/K4y4UdxtM9
— Rohan Pandya (@rohanpandya) March 7, 2023
Another Twitter user wrote, “Holi Reel & Billboard of @Swiggy is disrespectful towards a festival celebrated by millions. Why no such gyan on other non-Hindu festivals? Swiggy must apologize to Hindus for its intentional mistake.”
Startup ads are seeing rising backslash in the recent time
Swiggy’s Holi ad hasn’t been the only one to get a lot of negative feedback. In the past few years, a lot of Indian startups have been criticised for their advertising campaigns that some religious groups see as insensitive or offensive.
In 2020, for example, Zomato, an online food delivery service, was criticised for a tweet that said, “Food doesn’t have a religion, but if it did, it would be biryani.” The tweet made a lot of people angry, and some of them said that Zomato didn’t care about Hindus.
In 2019, a popular jewellery brand called Tanishq was criticised for an ad. It showed a Hindu and Muslim couple getting married. Some users were upset by the ad. They said it was promoting “love jihad” and threatened to stop using the brand.
Swiggy withdraws the ads and apologises for any damage
Swiggy has apologised and said it will take down the controversial Holi ad because of the backlash. In a statement, the company said, “We regret the inadvertent hurt caused and withdraw the advertisement. As an organization, we are committed to respecting all cultures and upholding the values of diversity and inclusivity.”
Holi Reel & Billboard of @Swiggy is disrespectful towards a festival celebrated by millions
Why no such gyan on other non-Hindu festivals?
Swiggy must apologise to Hindus for its intentional mistake #HinduPhobicSwiggy pic.twitter.com/mxfLcHBCSC— Ramesh Solanki🇮🇳 (@Rajput_Ramesh) March 7, 2023
The controversy over Swiggy’s Holi ad is just the latest example of how people don’t like religious ads. As India becomes more diverse, companies need to make sure their advertising campaigns are more sensitive and inclusive so they don’t offend certain groups.
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