CENTURY PLY ad in The Economic Times - Good Promotion or Bad!!!

It's intriguing to see the CENTURY PLY advertisement placed in the Economic Times, India's leading business daily, particularly as it coincides with the Sensex reaching 75,000! Whether the timing was deliberate or coincidental remains uncertain. 

What adds to the curiosity is that the model featured is Pratik Gandhi, renowned for his work in Gujarati theatre and cinema. He gained widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Harshad Mehta in the Sony LIV series "Scam 1992" (2020), where he depicted the controversial figure of Harshad Mehta.

Harshad Mehta's character is subject to much debate - was he a hero or a villain? While some may justify his actions, many view him as a criminal who manipulated the system for personal gain, resulting in significant losses for investors and even suicides.

CENTURY PLY advertises itself as a sound investment for the future, yet the choice of Pratik Gandhi, associated with portraying Harshad Mehta, raises eyebrows due to the latter's tainted legacy in financial markets. The question arises: Does such advertising generate positive or negative publicity? Perhaps most readers may not even recognize Pratik Gandhi, let alone associate him positively or negatively.

One could argue that CENTURY PLY should have chosen a more recognizable face, especially from the financial sector, for such an advertisement. Moreover, the decision to place the advertisement in the Economic Times, a finance and investment-focused publication, raises questions about its target audience. 

Perhaps it would have been more fitting to place the advertisement in a general interest newspaper like the Times of India. The readership profiles of The Economic Times and Times of India differ significantly, suggesting a potential mismatch in targeting the desired audience for the advertisement.