Upgrad’s Advert Marketing campaign’s Uncanny Resemblance To Sundar Pichai Irks Netizens

With the rising recognition of digital schooling and an growing variety of college students transitioning to on-line studying, Indian edtech firms have been executing extremely participating advert campaigns. Lately, upGrad, a web-based larger schooling firm, shared one such marketing campaign that includes an AI-generated lookalike of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Whereas this strategy could also be seen as inventive by the corporate, it acquired combined evaluations from social media customers.

Many criticised the edtech firm for producing an advert that they thought-about “cringy” and “tacky.” Moreover, questions had been raised relating to whether or not upGrad obtained permission from the Google CEO himself earlier than utilizing his likeness and private particulars of their marketing campaign.

upGrad’s new advert marketing campaign reminds of Sundar Pichai

Within the advert, upGrad shared an image of a person standing in the course of a crowded railway platform. The person who had a hanging resemblance with Google CEO Sundar Pichai was described as a 45-year-old IT skilled named Sundar P.

The advert additional gave extra particulars concerning the man and added, “I got a scholarship at Stanford but the travel cost too much so I didn’t go.”

Notably, the Google boss additionally has a Stanford connection as he accomplished his Grasp’s diploma from there.

Whereas this was nonetheless complicated, the caption left no doubts concerning the marketing campaign’s oblique jibe at Sundar Pichai. “Thankfully, the Sundar we know chose to #SkipExcuses and left his competition miles peeche,” it wrote.

Examine:

Fortunately, the Sundar we all know selected to #SkipExcuses and left his competitors miles peeche. __

Disclaimer: This publish is a piece of fiction. Any resemblance to actual occasions, real-life people/personalities or entities is solely coincidental. Viewer discretion is suggested. pic.twitter.com/jE6sHjjgIE

— upGrad (@upGrad_edu) June 6, 2023

Additional advising viewers to behave at their discretion, the corporate additionally talked about that the publish is a whole work of fiction and any resemblance to actual occasions, real-life people/personalities, or entities is solely coincidental.

Nonetheless, it appears netizens had been in no temper to get satisfied.

Netizens sad with upGrad’s new advert marketing campaign 

As quickly because the advert was shared, many took to the remark part and expressed their displeasure with the identical.

A person wrote, “Does Sundar Pichai know that his name and likeness are being appropriated in an ad campaign by an Indian edtech brand?” whereas one other one commented, “This is so cringeee.”

“Let’s be grateful Mr Pichai hasn’t been given a silly made-up name like ‘Wolf Gupta’!” a 3rd person mentioned, whereas a fourth one wrote, “This is a new low. Must be terrible leadership to approve such cringeworthy ads.”