Kajol's social media promotion for Disney+ Hotstar show draws flak
The actress deleted all her posts and shared that she's facing a tough trial. It was later revealed to be a part of the show's promotion.
The post received a lot of traction on social media and concerned fans commented on it asking her what was wrong. Theories of divorce, illness and mental health issues floated on social media. The genuine concern for their star was palpable among her followers.
However, she returned in a few hours with the poster of her latest show 'The Trial- Pyaar Kanoon Dhoka'. It was soon revealed that this was just a promotional activity for the show. The comments on this post clearly show that the gimmick didn't go down too well with her fans.
"I can't believe we were made fun of today.", reads one.
"...It is like playing with emotions of fans who consider and treat their celebs as a part of their life," reads another.
"Crying wolf! No one will believe you next time." reads yet another.
Fans called this out as a 'cheap marketing tactic', 'a poor publicity stunt' and 'shameful marketing'. The post has largely received negative comments.
Not only did the marketing strategy for the show go wrong, but it also got Kajol some bad press. Her fans expressed disappointment in her and said that they felt cheated. While they were genuinely concerned for her well-being, it was after all a promotion for her show.
In recent times, brands have chosen this route of misleading the audience to promote themselves. In December, Anushka Sharma raised concerns about Puma India using her photographs without her authorisation. It later revealed that the actress was being announced as the sportswear brand’s new ambassador.
In January, actor Ranbir Kapoor, was seen throwing away a fan’s smartphone after posing with him. It was nothing but a promotional gimmick for the Oppo Reno8 T 5G.