With the rising recognition of digital schooling and an rising variety of college students transitioning to on-line studying, Indian edtech corporations have been executing extremely participating advert campaigns. Recently, upGrad, a web-based greater schooling firm, shared one such marketing campaign that includes an AI-generated lookalike of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. While this strategy could also be seen as artistic by the corporate, it obtained blended evaluations from social media customers.
Many criticised the edtech firm for producing an advert that they thought-about “cringy” and “tacky.” Additionally, questions had been raised relating to whether or not upGrad obtained permission from the Google CEO himself earlier than utilizing his likeness and private particulars of their marketing campaign.
upGrad’s new advert marketing campaign reminds of Sundar Pichai
In the advert, upGrad shared an image of a person standing in the midst of a crowded railway platform. The man who had a hanging resemblance with Google CEO Sundar Pichai was described as a 45-year-old IT skilled named Sundar P.
The advert additional gave extra particulars concerning the man and added, “I got a scholarship at Stanford but the travel cost too much so I didn’t go.”
Notably, the Google boss additionally has a Stanford connection as he accomplished his Master’s diploma from there.
While this was nonetheless complicated, the caption left no doubts concerning the marketing campaign’s oblique jibe at Sundar Pichai. “Thankfully, the Sundar we know chose to #SkipExcuses and left his competition miles peeche,” it wrote.
Check:
Thankfully, the Sundar we all know selected to #SkipExcuses and left his competitors miles peeche. __
Disclaimer: This submit is a piece of fiction. Any resemblance to actual occasions, real-life people/personalities or entities is only coincidental. Viewer discretion is suggested. pic.twitter.com/jE6sHjjgIE
— upGrad (@upGrad_edu) June 6, 2023
Further advising viewers to behave at their discretion, the corporate additionally talked about that the submit is a whole work of fiction and any resemblance to actual occasions, real-life people/personalities, or entities is only coincidental.
However, it appears netizens had been in no temper to get satisfied.
Netizens sad with upGrad’s new advert marketing campaign
As quickly because the advert was shared, many took to the remark part and expressed their displeasure with the identical.
A consumer wrote, “Does Sundar Pichai know that his name and likeness are being appropriated in an ad campaign by an Indian edtech brand?” whereas one other one commented, “This is so cringeee.”
“Let’s be grateful Mr Pichai hasn’t been given a silly made-up name like ‘Wolf Gupta’!” a 3rd consumer stated, whereas a fourth one wrote, “This is a new low. Must be terrible leadership to approve such cringeworthy ads.”
