“Wrongly perceived by some,” says Layer'r Shot in a public apology over its controversial ads

The perfume brand Layer'r Shot has issued an apology and a clarification over its latest advertisements that created an outrage over the weekend for allegedly ‘promoting sexual violence against women’. 

The statement read, “Only after due and mandatory approvals, we have aired the advertisements, wherein, we never intended to hurt anyone’s sentiments or feelings or outrage any women’s modesty or promote any sort of culture, as wrongly perceived by some.”

The statement further read, “However, we sincerely apologise for the advertisements that consequentially caused rage among individuals and several communities and beg their pardon.”

Shot perfume also wrote that they had voluntarily asked all their media partners to not broadcast/telecast the ads on their platforms starting June 4, 2022. 

Layer’r Shot’s apology in a tweet:

pic.twitter.com/6LfpVcBXuV

— Layer'r Shot (@layerr_shot) June 6, 2022

This comes two days after the I&B Ministry had asked Twitter and YouTube to remove the demeaning ads of the perfume brand from their platforms. 

Watch the ad in question:

Can't find the ad online but here it is, apparently being played during the match. I didn't see it till @hitchwriter showed it to me

Who are the people making these ads really? pic.twitter.com/zhXEaMqR3Q

— Permanently Exhausted Pigeon (@monikamanchanda) June 3, 2022

In letters to Twitter and YouTube, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting had said that the videos were "detrimental to the portrayal of women in the interest of decency and morality" and in violation of Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code).

ASCI too had invoked a special process called “Suspended Pending Investigation” (SPI).

In most cases, ASCI provides an opportunity for the advertiser to put forth their arguments before a recommendation is provided on the ad. However, in exceptional circumstances, when it appears prima facie that an advertisement is in serious breach of the ASCI Code and its continued transmission can cause public harm or its continuation is against public interest, then ASCI would, pending investigation direct the advertiser /the advertising agency/the media buying agency and the media concerned to suspend the advertisement.

The said ad is in potential violation of ASCI’s chapter II, which states that advertisements should contain nothing indecent, vulgar, especially in the depiction of women, or nothing repulsive which is likely, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave and widespread offence.

In this specific case, ASCI wrote to the advertiser on June 3, informing them of the decision to suspend the advertising, and invited the advertiser’s response which would be tabled before the Consumer Complaints Council in the coming days.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com