Head-to-head: Caresmith takes a jab at Bombay Shaving Company's viral campaign

They say what goes around comes around. And that is exactly what is happening with Bombay Shaving Company. The tables have turned for the brand’s controversial ad that capitalised on the moment surrounding UP topper Prachi Nigam. Rushabh Shah, co-founder of personal care and grooming appliance company Caresmith, saw an opportunity in the Bombay Shaving Company's viral newspaper ad and made the most of it.

Shah took a satirical swipe at Deshpande by creating his own ‘moment marketing’ campaign.

In an unapologetic and pretty direct post on social media, Shah said, “It was shocking to see the amount of hate targeted at Shantanu [Deshpande] because of his lack of sensitivity. Our simple message sell more head massagers for our bright future. Unhappy with my team as this ad does not ooze class and is super opportunistic :( . We don't have the money to put out this ad in the newspaper. Please sponsor this ad by buying our head massagers.”

Shah also included a link to his product at the end and a creative in the sam purple background used by Bombay Shaving Company in their newspaper ad. The creative that matched the newspaper ad’s tone said, “Dear Shantanu, you may or may not have hair but our head massager doesn’t care.”

Bombay Shaving Company's ad received widespread criticism for its lack of sensitivity. Despite attempting damage control, CEO Shantanu Deshpande's social media post claiming the ad was solely a message of support for Prachi fell flat, especially with the closing line mentioning ‘Bae.’ This capitalised letter hinted at a proper noun, likely referencing their female-focused brand, BOMBAE.

In a recent interview with Storyboard18, Manisha Kapoor, chief executive officer and secretary-general, Advertising Standards Council of India said, “Moment marketing presents exciting opportunities for advertisers, but missteps often occur due to rushed launches without sufficient diligence and oversight. This can lead to poorly-thought-out ads that may breach laws or advertising guidelines, and that may lack alignment with broader brand strategies.”

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