Storyboard18 | Kashmir Day posts force global brands to rethink local messaging

Here's an excerpt from the statement.

"We had seen a social media post on the so-called Kashmir Solidarity Day made by Hyundai Pakistan. Immediately after this social media post on Sunday, 6th February 2022, our Ambassador in Seoul contacted the Hyundai Headquarters and sought an explanation. The offending post had been removed subsequently. The Ambassador of the Republic of Korea was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs yesterday 7th February 2022. The strong displeasure of the Government on the unacceptable social media post by Hyundai Pakistan was conveyed to him. It was highlighted that this matter concerned India’s territorial integrity on which there could be no compromise. We expected the Company to take appropriate action to properly address these issues. Foreign Minister of Republic of Korea H.E. Mr. Chung Eui-yong called the External Affairs Minister this morning. While they discussed several issues, the RoK Foreign Minister also conveyed that they regretted the offence caused to the people and Government of India by the social media post."

On Twitter, boycott Hyundai hasthags saw an average of more than 1,000 posts being sent out every hour. The automobile brand issued a detailed clarification calling the controversial creative an "unofficial social media activity".

Hyundai Motor India, as they said in their statement, is not associated with the said distributor in Pakistan that sent out the post.

“Once the situation was brought to our attention, we made the distributor acutely aware of the inappropriateness of the action. We have since taken measures to ensure the distributor, which misused the Hyundai brand identity, has removed the social media posts and we have put in place processes to prevent a future recurrence,” the company said in a statement.

However, Hyundai’s dealerships in Pakistan were not the only ones deleting social media posts about Kashmir Solidarity Day.

Several handles on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram like Dominos, Toyota Defence Motors, Suzuki Pakistan, Isuzu D-Max Pakistan, Kia-Motors Crossroads-Hyderabad, Suzuki Gujrat Motors had to get rid of their moment marketing creatives on the subject.

Brands that put out solidarity posts last year also came under the scanner.

“Their cravings for freedom are heartfelt,” went a KFC Pakistan creative from 2021.

Cut to 2022. Netizens threaten to boycott fried chicken for good. Acting quickly, the American fast food restaurant chain put out an apology on Twitter from their official India handle.

Dominos, which also faced the heat of angry netizens for similar posts, issued a statement saying, “Domino’s India is committed to the Indian market, having called it home for more than 25 years, and has the utmost respect for the people, culture and spirit of nationalism of the country. We regret and apologize for the unsolicited social media post published on Domino’s social media handles outside the country. As a brand, we honour and respect India and remain deeply committed to serving our customers and communities with humility, gratitude and pride.”

Brands were compelled to issue statements even when they weren't responsible for the posts. Jubilant FoodWorks, for instance, is the master franchise for Domino's Pizza in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Hence, technically, Dominos in India is not answerable about posts done in other markets but they still put out the statement from their India handle.

But companies can hardly expect regular consumers to be aware of these nuances of global brands.

A lot of brands in their public statements on the issue also claimed to be apolitical.

Like an excerpt from the statement from Maruti Suzuki said, “As corporate policy, we do not align with any political or religious inclination in any part of the world. Such communication from our dealers or business associates on these topics represents neither our company position nor authorized by us.”

But do consumers really want their brands to be apolitical? Experts suggest that consumers want to know what their brands think especially on sensitive issues like the one in question.

“In today’s ‘activist economy’, a brand’s value is becoming intertwined and indistinguishable. The consumers today want to see a proactive role and a broader view of responsibility from the brands on national and societal issues,” says political commentator and communication strategy consultant Anup Sharma.

“This is the age of hyper-connected and hyper-transparency and brands will have to be sensitive and keep re-evaluating their "purpose in society" and the narratives will reinforce the same,” he adds.

According to Sharma, with communication becoming democratized in the digitally-connected age brands have the challenge to be extra alert and proactive to cut through the noise with credibility and stand out in the crowd to be seen as authentic and trustworthy.  He says while there may not always be written guidelines, brands have to keep a tab on their narratives and the overall purpose, in taking a public stand on issues which could become controversial or be an embarrassment to the brand.