Crisis of credibility in adland as accusations of idea theft mount

Longstanding concerns over idea theft have reemerged with fresh urgency as industry insiders warn that the creative ecosystem may be under serious strain. This week, Amer Jaleel, the former group chief creative officer and chairman of MullenLowe Lintas, publicly accused tea brand Wagh Bakri and advertising agency FCB of appropriating an idea developed by his marketing venture, Curativity. In a widely circulated LinkedIn post, Jaleel alleged that a pitch Curativity made to Wagh Bakri, at the behest of a former client now employed by the tea company, was later executed by another agency without credit or compensation.

According to Jaleel, Curativity presented the tagline “Aisi Chai Jo Zubaan Pe Reh Jaaye” along with strategic guidance to emphasize tea masters over garden imagery. Weeks later, he said, a strikingly similar campaign surfaced, helmed by FCB.

The response was swift. Jaleel’s post drew a flurry of supportive comments from creatives who recounted similar experiences, reigniting a long-simmering debate within Indian advertising. Who owns the pitch?

“Credit theft is as old as advertising itself,” said Sandeep Goyal, managing director of Rediffusion. The difference now is how openly and frequently it occurs. Many clients assume agencies can be bullied or intimidated, said Goyal. And too often, agencies don’t fight back for fear of losing future business. He added, "The agency always hopes some driblets of business will still come its way if they don't pick a fight. However, it is an erroneous assumption but most agencies would rather not fight."

This latest accusation of idea-theft follows a recent lawsuit filed by Creativeland Asia against online gaming company WinZO. The agency alleges that before any formal agreement was in place, WinZO moved to trademark a tagline - “Jeeto Har Dinzo”, based on concepts developed during their pitch.

The issue, insiders say, is both systemic and cultural. Goyal recounted a personal experience from his tenure as chairman of Dentsu. After launching the successful “Sir Utha Ke Jiyo” campaign for HDFC Life, Dentsu was removed from the account within months by a new marketing head. The campaign continued, under another agency.

“That line has been used for 20 years,” Goyal said, adding that Leo Burnett has been celebrated for it. Meanwhile, Dentsu perhaps saw two percent of its value. This is the kind of long-term loss that agencies often face, he pointed, stating, "There are many shades to how agencies can get shortchanged."

To protect themselves, some are calling for a new code of conduct. Rahul Vengalil, CEO and co-founder of tgthr, argues that agencies should charge pitch fees up front and insist on robust, mutual non-disclosure agreements.

“It’s about signaling seriousness on both sides,” Vengalil said. “Agencies must begin to assert the value of their ideas, not just their execution.”

As the advertising world waits to hear from Wagh Bakri on the recent allegations, one thing is clear: the issue of intellectual property and attribution in pitches has grown too pressing to ignore.

The story will be updated as new statements become available.

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