This Marathon Ad In Mumbai Is Getting Hilariously Mocked For Being Weirdly Irrelevant

As far as marketing gimmicks go, none are as outrageous and yet as blatantly employed as scantily clad women in ads that have nothing to do with them whatsoever. I won’t try and blame it all on the marketing team, because it could as easily be the client’s demand. But stats seem to favour ads that have a woman selling the product. Maybe because of how we, as a nation, are a tharki lot.

A shining example of this was recently highlighted by stand-up comedian Rahul Subramanian, when he shared the picture of a billboard advertising a marathon in Powai’s Hiranandani.

His caption is basically all of us practical folks, pondering the meaning of the ad.

https://twitter.com/RahulSubramanic/status/948224008528498695

Now, a host of things are wrong with this ad. First, why is a blonde, clearly not-Indian woman doing on a billboard for a marathon in Powai, for crying out loud?

Second, have you seen her shoes? Is THAT what she’s going to wear when she runs?

Third, what’s with that posture, guys? She’s not even running! WTF?

But as you know, Twitter never disappoints. The answers to all these questions were revealed one after the other. But first, the biggest WTF of all got resolved when someone figured out who this lovely lady was!

Yep, she is indeed Elsa Pataky, Chris Hemsworth’s wife. In fact, the picture is from a campaign that she modelled for, for Gioseppo, a footwear brand.

It was Rahul who again pointed out that the brand was a sponsor for the event and therefore, their campaign image was quite slyly used to promote the run.

https://twitter.com/RahulSubramanic/status/948415083016732672

Still, marketing peeps, a little more creativity wouldn’t have hurt, no?

Twitter could obviously not digest this reasoning and went ahead with the mocking!

1. Marketing team! You sly fellas, you!

2. LOL!

3. Still not over it!

https://twitter.com/lolawilma/status/948421526562508800

4. And we will have no winner, because really? Sandals?

5. Hear hear!

6. Second that!

7. Oh for sure, in the opposite direction!

8. In all fairness, they do have some excellent choice in models!

9. Umm… yes!

10. ‘Pliss’ was also an option suggested by marketing team. But the editorial team put their ‘sandaled’ foot down! *wink*

Right, so I hope the woke Tweeple managed to ‘educate’ the marketing peeps behind this ad to see the error of their ways.

But then again, does the fact that the ad got all the attention it did prove the point I made previously? Ads with attractive women get more attention than they deserve?

Some foot for thought, people!

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