“We know the end doesn’t justify the means.”
Schbang, the creative agency responsible for orchestrating Poonam Pandey’s controversial staged death to raise awareness about cervical cancer, has issued a second apology across its social media platforms.
Previously, the agency apologized while also highlighting how Poonam Pandey’s stunt served a good cause, and resulted in making cervical cancer and its related terms the most searched topics on Google. Thus, they claimed that their campaign had been a success.
However, this predictably provoked significant backlash, with many accusing it of being insensitive and equally disrespectful as the campaign itself. The agency partnership got terminated with the Merck affiliate. Furthermore, multiple agencies and individuals, including the All India Cine Workers Association (AICWA), have demanded that an FIR be signed against Poonam Pandey for the emotional harm caused by her campaign.
In response, Schbang took to Instagram to issue a second apology, expressing regret and remorse to everyone affected by the campaign, including their own team. The post stated: “We made a mistake. But once, but twice.”
They also acknowledged that “the end does not justify the means”.
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Additionally, Schbang expressed gratitude towards the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for helping them in rectifying their mistakes and for establishing a holistic foundation for auditing future campaign ideas to ensure that such a blunder would not happen again.
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