Tanishq has often come into the limelight for its controversial advertisements. The Tanishq ekatvam 2020 advertisement which went to be known as the Tanishq love jihad ad was designed to promote communal harmony while encouraging inter-faith marriage tolerance.

The advertisement concept outlines the theme of a pregnant Hindu woman being surprised by a baby shower ceremony “godbharai” by her Muslim in-laws, as the godbharai ceremony is predominantly a Hindu practice it tries to show cultural acceptance and appreciation of different religions. The Tanishq ad controversy was that the brand was advocating love jihad, the term in India means women being converted to a different religion by getting married to a man of that religion, which right-wing people believe to be by deceit.

The Tanishq advertisement controversy caused, minor riots and threats to demolish stores in areas of Gujrat. it also gathered widespread criticism for favouring one religion over another and was tagged as an attempt to brainwash women. The critiques were not constrained to the general right-wing advocates but it also gathered critical remarks from well-known celebrities like Kangana Ranaut exclaiming the brand as “creative terrorists” and was looked at as an attack on civilization by other renowned names like Sashi Tharoor.  Major media houses like NDTV, India Today, Economic Times, etc covered the public burst on the ad, the love jihad ad also caught international media’s eyes with articles by major international newspapers including BBC and the New York Times.

There were a few major elements that caused such criticism of the ad:

• Way of religious representation: 

In the ad, the woman being Hindu was married to a Muslim household. It needs to be taken into consideration that the target geography of the ad was India, and the two communities chosen are known to have bitter ties. The change suggested by the ad is also one of the most arguable disputes between the two communities and being a sensitive matter, it can bring high negative criticism for the brand leaving a long-term impact. 

• Improper implementation: 

Choosing a sensitive topic does not necessarily mean the ad will fail to perform. Implementation is the key, which the Tanishq ad missed. In this advertisement they showed that women expect to leave their religion and culture behind after marriage, this was depicted by the woman with a look of obligation when she exclaims to her mother-in-law that this custom is not practiced in their religion and that she was obliged by being allowed to practice her religion. Being a 2020 ad, the generalisation of women oppression is not a wise choice, as prominent female celebrities like Priyanka Chopra chose to not change their last name after marriage breaking the presumption of patriarchy.

• Not showing unity: 

The advertisement had a scene when the woman enters the baby shower ceremony, the scene showed the bride -Hindu and groom -Muslim side standing away from each other, even though it’s a common celebration and both sides are meant to organise and enjoy together. This showed the lack of unity that might persist even if the two faiths are bound in matrimony, going against the intent of the ad.   

To avoid controversial advertising some changes in the Tanishq ekatvam ad are suggested: 

• Encouraging small steps: 

The problem the brand wishes to address is deep-rooted and prevalent for centuries in the country. It is unfair to expect the audience to make such major changes in their thought process, however, the change can be suggested in a more bite-sized manner. The ad could have been designed in a format where the baby shower is thrown by the mother-to-Be’s best friend who is Muslim and the couple is Hindu, since Tanishq wants to position itself as a family brand, the mother-to-be is gifted a jewellery set from the friend’s mother who regards her as her own daughter and the emotion is reciprocated by the expecting mother. This way the family element of the brand is retained promoting communal harmony.

• Keeping the progressive elements: 

Tanishq is trying to make people rise above orthodox thinking while proceeding to show that women need to leave their culture behind. This does not go well while conveying the overall message of the ad. It could have been well delivered if it showed the woman was expecting the godbharai, which can be depicted by her having a confident approach, and both the families were standing together in the celebration, while she thanked them as a whole for arranging the surprise. 

It is the responsibility of the brands to suggest positive changes in the society and influence the people with its advertisement however it needs to be done with proper understanding of the audience. To make sure it is well received, a proper implementation can lead to an increase in brand awareness and loyalty. But it needs to be understood it’s a two-edged sword.