On Saturday (June 4), the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) suspended two controversial advertisements by a fragrance brand named Layer’R Shot until an investigation into the matter is concluded.
According to Times Now journalist Prashant Kumar, the MIB has also directed social media platforms such as Youtube and Twitter to take down the videos at the earliest.
The ministry has also written to Twitter and YouTube to take the videos down from their platforms at the earliest.
— Prashant Kumar (@scribe_prashant) June 4, 2022
Good move!!!
The background of the controversy
The development comes a day after two advertisements by the fragrance brand went viral on social media. In one such ad, four men were seen staring at a woman shopping inside a supermarket.
“We are 4 and she is one? Who is going to take the shot (suggesting ejaculation)?” asked a man. Thereafter, he grabbed a bottle of Layer’R shot and remarked that she deserved a shot.
How does this kind of ads get approved, sick and outright disgusting. Is @layerr_shot full of perverts? Second ad with such disgusting content from Shot.@monikamanchanda pic.twitter.com/hMEaJZcdmR
— Rishita💝 (@RishitaPrusty_) June 3, 2022
In another ad, a group of friends enter the room of a man, only to find him sitting with his partner. “Looks like you gave a shot,” claimed one of the men. On receiving an affirmative reply, one of the friends proceeded to say that it was time for them to give shots.
If #TritonCommunications have Layer’R Adjavis Venture Ltd as client, they have messed up big time with this recent advertise. @SonyLIV @SonyTV @BARCIndia @ascionline @TheAdClub_India @e4mtweets @admediainsider @ETBrandEquity @sonalikrishna @MIB_India Please take a look. https://t.co/lGF5DEMxR1 pic.twitter.com/dAdjZY5w3H
— Abhishek Bhalerao (@mumbaiactor_) June 3, 2022
Netizens slammed the fragrance brand
In the end, he grabs a bottle of Layer’R shot and sprays it over himself. The sexual innuendo-filled ads were broadcast on TV without any statutory warning. Netizens were miffed with the brand for promoting sexually inappropriate content and glorifying rape culture.
“This layer shot ad gotta be the most f*cked up ad I have seen,” wrote one user.
“That Layer Shot ad is horrific. Ban that ad. How can someone even think about writing something like this? How was the idea even approved? How come no one stopped this idea from going ahead? The fact that it made it to our screens is so so wrong. Pathetic!” wrote another user.
One Yashasvini Mathur remarked, “The layer shot AD is a travesty and every single person who was part of its approval process must be held accountable. Never did I expect a TV ad to give me the sort of anxiety and flashbacks that plague every woman in a public space. What on earth were they thinking!”
The Ad of Layer Shot on @SonyLIV should be banned. What a creepy ad & promoting rape.
“Just came across these Layer’r Shot ads. Whoever has been approving these ads must be fired immediately,” one Gaurav Tiwari wrote.
Earlier, the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) had raised objections about the derogatory nature of the two advertisements.
Thank you for tagging us. The ad is in serious breach of the ASCI Code and is against public interest. We have taken immediate action and notified the advertiser to suspend the ad, pending investigation.
— ASCI (@ascionline) June 3, 2022
“The ad is in serious breach of the ASCI Code and is against public interest. We have taken immediate action and notified the advertiser to suspend the ad, pending investigation,” it had informed.
