Layers Shot releases a triggering, insensitive & unethical ad

Layer'r, for their body spray - Shot, released a triggering, unethical, insensitive, and a gender-biased campaign. Social media users expressed shock and disappointment.

In a pathetic turn of events, antiperspirant brand, Layer'r, for their body spray - Shot, released a triggering, unethical, insensitive, and a gender-biased campaign. Taking the rudimentary slang for coitus - 'Shot' as the base of the campaign, the ads show four males, making a woman feel unsafe and uncomfortable. The men are seen making lewd remarks, which are supposedly directed towards the product, but also apply to the safety of the girl seen in the video.

Post the boys' remarks, the girl in the video is seen visibly scared and disturbed.

The campaign comes as a shock, especially after ASCI recently announced that they will be making their guidelines more inclusive and sensitive. Users on Twitter and Instagram have been showing their disappointment towards the brand, the advertising regulatory body, and even the makers of the campaign who gave a go-ahead to a narrative that leverages and makes fun of an extremely heinous crime.

The ad has been airing on television channels and so far Social Samosa couldn't find it on the brand's social media handles. This fact also raises concerns on the broadcasters' level where a clear lack of hygiene checks before airing a campaign can be seen.

One doesn't need statistics to understand the gravity and frequency of crimes against women. Rapes have been on a steep rise and campaigns like this reduce the narrative that the world is building to act against it. We hope that the due action is taken against the brand and all involved in the campaign.

Update:

Layer'r Shot has issued a 'Statement Of Clarification' in which the brand mentions that the advertisement had gone through "due and mandatory approvals" and the brand did not intend to hurt any sentiments and is "wrongly perceived by some". They further mentioned that it was "voluntarily" informed to media partners to stop the broadcast of this ad. The statement did not contain an apology or any sentiment of remorse.

On the morning of the 3rd of June 2022, ASCI invoked a special process called “Suspended Pending Investigation” (SPI) against the ad. The said ad is in potential violation of ASCI’s chapter II, which states that advertisements should contain nothing indecent, vulgar, especially in the depiction of women, or nothing repulsive which is likely, in the light of generally prevailing standards of decency and propriety, to cause grave and widespread offense.