Mumbai — A series of advertisements, created by Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide to promote a healthy cooking oil, has been halted after the cricket icon endorsing the product suffered a heart attack.
Adani Wilmar, controlled by billionaire Gautam Adani, has pulled the plug on its rice-bran oil campaigns featuring Sourav Ganguly, former captain of the Indian cricket team, after some social media users trolled the oil brand over his ill-health. Ganguly underwent a coronary angioplasty on Saturday and is recovering now.
“We have only taken a temporary break in our TV commercial until we again sit with Sourav and take things forward,” Angshu Mallick, Adani Wilmar’s deputy CEO, said in an e-mail on Wednesday, adding that Ganguly will continue being their brand ambassador. “This is a very unfortunate incident and can happen with anyone.”
Several factors inflict heart ailments, including diet and hereditary issues, Malik said. An e-mail seeking comments from Ogilvy & Mather’s local unit wasn’t immediately answered.
Ganguly heads the Board of Control for Cricket in India, the apex body overseeing the game in the country.
The Adani group pulled the ad probably to quieten the noise on social media for now, according to Harish Bijoor, a Bengaluru-based independent brand consultant.
Adani Wilmar sells a large range of edible oils extracted from soybeans, sunflowers, mustard, peanuts and rice bran, as well as Basmati rice and lentils, according to its website.
Bloomberg
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