With the growing popularity of digital education and an increasing number of students transitioning to online learning, Indian edtech companies have been executing highly engaging ad campaigns. Recently, upGrad, an online higher education company, shared one such campaign featuring an AI-generated lookalike of Google CEO Sundar Pichai. While this approach may be seen as creative by the company, it received mixed reviews from social media users.
Many criticised the edtech company for producing an ad that they considered "cringy" and "tacky." Additionally, questions were raised regarding whether upGrad obtained permission from the Google CEO himself before using his likeness and personal details in their campaign.
upGrad's new ad campaign reminds of Sundar Pichai
In the ad, upGrad shared a picture of a man standing in the middle of a crowded railway platform. The man who had a striking resemblance with Google CEO Sundar Pichai was described as a 45-year-old IT professional named Sundar P.
The ad further gave more details about 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 also has a Stanford connection as he completed his Master's degree from there.
While this was still confusing, the caption left no doubts about the campaign's indirect jibe at Sundar Pichai. “Thankfully, the Sundar we know chose to #SkipExcuses and left his competition miles peeche,” it wrote.
Check:
Thankfully, the Sundar we know chose to #SkipExcuses and left his competition miles peeche. __
Disclaimer: This post is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real events, real-life individuals/personalities or entities is purely coincidental. Viewer discretion is advised. pic.twitter.com/jE6sHjjgIE
— upGrad (@upGrad_edu) June 6, 2023
Further advising viewers to act at their discretion, the company also mentioned that the post is a complete work of fiction and any resemblance to real events, real-life individuals/personalities, or entities is purely coincidental.
However, it seems netizens were in no mood to get convinced.
Netizens unhappy with upGrad's new ad campaign
As soon as the ad was shared, many took to the comment section and expressed their displeasure with the same.
A user wrote, "Does Sundar Pichai know that his name and likeness are being appropriated in an ad campaign by an Indian edtech brand?" while another 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 third user said, while a fourth one wrote, "This is a new low. Must be terrible leadership to approve such cringeworthy ads."
