A Bengaluru-based startup ‘Swish’ has come under fire on social media with its advertisement strategy through human billboards. Many images surfacing online revealed men walking through the streets of the city at night with illuminated advertisement boards, promoting the 10-minute food delivery service by the Bengaluru-based startup, Swish.
The photos went quickly viral on social media. X user who humorously pointed at the marketing approach, saying, “VC: How much funding do you need? Startup: $5 million. VC: What’s your customer acquisition plan? Startup: Human ads. VC: Take my money.” However, the practice of this was also put across as a criticism of such practice, as said, “dehumanizing.”.
Human billboards for food delivery app in Bengaluru shock internet: 'Extremely dehumanising' https://t.co/AmyngqN4oP#bengalurudaily pic.twitter.com/wQkS1I1f8f
— Sivakumar V (@veeyeskay) December 8, 2024
Netizens says, ‘So sad.’
The campaign was so hotly debated, with many users complaining about the ethics of using human advertisements. A user commented, “It’s so sad to see people walking around with heavy boards on their backs for hours.” Another said, “This is exploitative and reminds me of outdated practices like people holding lamps at weddings.”
@justswishin exploiting individuals to carry ad banners in Bangalore is reprehensible—a flagrant violation of human dignity and an abhorrent display of exploitation. This reflects the absolute nadir of marketing ethics by Swish.
@kshrac @CMofKarnataka pic.twitter.com/utqdB1tiOb— sandeep (@Xroute53) December 7, 2024
Others pointed out the physical strain involved in carrying the heavy boards and questioned the working conditions of those employed for the campaign. “How long are they expected to walk around like this? This feels wrong,” one user wrote.
The much-criticized campaign attracted at least one segment of users that praised its creativity and efficacy. This is an unexplored avenue in India’s advertising market, one said. More people drew similar comparisons: if Swiggy’s innovative e-traffic signal-based ads do indeed come this way, so do these kinds of things that potentially are expected to bring big money.
This is proof that creative marketing can drive serious results,” said a supporter, who added that such unconventional methods always grab attention and create buzz.
One user said, “This one was good. And here we are banging our heads on how to go for profitability. Difficult to fight with market forces.’
Human Billboards
Human billboards date back to the 19th century, but currently, they are illuminated boards with some modern technology. Although they remain an inexpensive yet attention-grabbing tactic for brands, ethical concerns have long plagued such campaigns. Critics assert that billboard campaigns exploit cheap labor, particularly in India, which has no qualms paying people who are keen to take on physically demanding jobs.
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