AHMEDABAD: After Mont Blanc limited edition pens with an engraving of Mahatma Gandhi courted controversy, a Swiss telecom major is now treading a similar path. Swisscom is using Gandhi in an advertisement campaign for Blackberry on its phones, reports Times of India.
In the ad, Gandhi's picture appears followed by, "Das Gute zu verbreiten, war noch nie so einfach (To spread the good, was never so easy)''. The ad next says, "Die ganze Welt der Apps, jetzt auf Ihrem BlackBerry'', that is, "The whole world of apps, now on your BlackBerry''.
These are posters put up on most Swisscom telephone booths across Switzerland. "Swisscom or any other telecom giant, would never dare to sell Gandhi in this way in India. Why should it be tolerated elsewhere? This ad campaign is a callous, pathetic and gross manipulation of Gandhi's message and legacy. It must not go unnoticed,'' an NRI from Switzerland wrote to TOI.
According to a Google Insight research a year ago, Gandhi is still the father of all brands in India. His image is used across the globe, politically as well as by corporates, to draw the common man's attention.
Brand Gandhi is still the most powerful Indian icon celebrated globally. International leaders, from Martin Luther King Jr to Barack Obama, have all used Brand Gandhi to reach out to the masses. Before Swisscom, Italy's largest telecom company Telecom Italia, used Gandhi in its 2005 campaign which was a success and also won several awards.
