Retailers up in arms over Flipkart ad on phone offers

Smartphone retailers have called out an advertisement by Flipkart featuring Amitabh Bachchan which they allege misleads buyers into believing online platforms offer better deals this festive season. In a Hindi advertisement by the online retailer, aired to promote its upcoming festive sales, the film star could be heard saying that the kind of mobile deals Flipkart is offering will not be available at retail stores.

Reacting to the advertisement, the All India Mobile Retailers Association (AIMRA), which represents 150,000 mobile retailers, has written to leading smartphone brands to highlight the issue and also ask the brand heads to “issue either a joint or individual statement in prominent news media outlets, publicly clarifying that these statements are not accurate.”

“Our purpose in addressing you is to express our deep concern and disappointment regarding the recent wave of derogatory advertisements that have been proliferating across various online platforms, social media, and print media. These advertisements have been influencing the buying behaviour of customers through false and misleading statements, such as the one promoted by Flipkart with the endorsement of the mega star, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, stating, ‘yeh Dukan per nahin milne wala’ (This will not be found in stores),” AIMRA said in its letter to smartphone brands. ET has reviewed copies of the letter.

Flipkart, meanwhile, has made the ad private on YouTube. Emails to the company did not elicit a response till press time.