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Pan Bahar ad: The ban that wasn't

CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani asserts they can't ban the ad but admits sending notice to ministry for monitoring how such ads are being telecast without certification. BestMediaInfo.com finds out how a ban would impact the brand

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Pierce Brosnan accuses Pan Bahar of misleading on product information

Pan Bahar ad: The ban that wasn't

CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani asserts they can't ban the ad but admits sending notice to ministry for monitoring how such ads are being telecast without certification. BestMediaInfo.com finds out how a ban would impact the brand

Roshni Nair | Mumbai | October 18, 2016

Social media was taken by storm when the Pan Bahar ad featuring Pierce Brosnan made its way into the Indian audience's psyche. The ad kicked up quite some dust with many trolling the film, which has the former James Bond star doing crazy stunts, and the print ads. Many others took offence at the star endorsing the product.

Pahlaj Nihalani Pahlaj Nihalani

News began to do the rounds that the ad has been banned by the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). When asked whether the board can ban ads, Pahlaj Nihalani, Chairman, CBFC, said, “We don't accept applications of brand like gutkha or any such brands. Such brands are required to get a health certificate from the government stating it is not a tobacco product, only then can we accept their application. We haven't received an application from the brand so there is no question of banning the ad.”

According to Nihalani, the broadcasters are not supposed to even show the promos of such ads without certification.

If that is the case, then how did the Pan Bahar ads make its way to the televisions sets?

“Whatever you are seeing on television, it is without the required certification. I sent a notice to the ministry, saying that they should monitor how such ads are being telecast without certification,” said Nihalani.

As per market sources, Pan Bahar spent nearly Rs 12-15 crore in getting the Bond face on board for this campaign and that the news that CFBC has banned the ad may not be true. So, can such a ban at this stage have a negative impact on the brand?

MG Parameswaran MG Parameswaran

“As far as a ban affecting the brand goes, I think for such brands controversy is good publicity. Pan Bahar is a much smaller brand than Rajnigandha but now they have a bigger voice so I don't think a ban will affect them,” said, MG Parameswaran, Brand Strategist, Founder, Brand-Building.com.

It has been over 10 days since the Pan Bahar ad is running and perhaps it has had its full run in its initial phase. Even though CBFC can not and did not ban the ad, its notice to the ministry triggering the new conversation was too late to impact the viewability of the ad. In a scenario when ministry may order a ban on the ad in future, will the ban serve any purpose as the ad has already had its full run?

Ashish Bhasin Ashish Bhasin

“In today's day and age, with digital being available, bans are meaningless, particularly if an ad has run for a significant period of time. You can ban further airing but you can't purge it from the net. Also, sometimes a ban can have an opposite effect because people might want to watch something because it has been banned. I think it is too late and in today's digital age it is not that effective or meaningful. The bigger effect or impact that a ban will have is the moral pressure on the celebrity and the advertisers but I think a ban in reality will not have much of a difference,” said Ashish Bhasin, Chairman and Chief Executive, Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia.

Lloyd Mathias Lloyd Mathias

“A ban means little to Pan Bahar that has already reaped the benefit of the association, thanks to the huge impact it has had on social media. I think in terms of awareness the campaign may have more than exceeded its objectives. What may be a challenge is the negativity around a ban and the impression that people carry that a banned advertisement is in fact a ban of the product. This may have an adverse impact on the brand,” said Lloyd Mathias, Marketing Director, Consumer PC's, Asia Pacific and Japan, HP.

Kiran Khalap Kiran Khalap

“I believe the brand has received enough salience through this ad because of the social media trolling the print and TV ads. Remember, though TV has 65 per cent penetration, the net has 23 per cent. So far, fewer Indians were exposed to the criticism than were exposed to the actual ad. If legally it is not allowed, then banning it on TV will drastically cut down the reach; its online presence is unlikely to reach as many Indians as TV. So a ban is effective in cutting down the extent of exposure, not the life of the TVC online,” said Kiran Khalap, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Chlorophyll.

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

Info@BestMediaInfo.com

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