TIMES NEWS NETWORK [ THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2002 12:24:43 AM ]

BANGALORE: Airtel's latest campaign featuring music maestro A R Rahman has run into unexpected criticism.

Spice Telecom, its closest competitor in Karnataka, has claimed the campaign is `inspired' by a Spice ad released in January 2002. According to Spice's ad agency, HTA, the Airtel ad for which Rehman was reportedly paid Rs 2.5 crore is a direct lift from the Spice promotion featuring a rock concert.

The Airtel campaign, put together by Rediff, which revolves around a sudden musical inspiration transmitted through a microphone attached to a mobile phone has a very close resemblance to the Spice ad. While Rediff claims that this was just a coincidence, HTA maintains that the idea was pinched.

"Imitation is the best form of flattery. But such outrageous adaptation will not do anybody any good in the long run," HTA Senior Vice-President Dhunji Wadia told The Times of India.

According to V. Subramaniam, associate vice-president, HTA, the Airtel campaign has too many resemblances to be passed off as a coincidence. "The theme of music, microphone and a concert coming together is a distinct concept," he says. The Spice campaign was extensively screened across movie halls in Bangalore and Udaya TV early this year.

When contacted, Rediff sources in New Delhi insisted that they had not seen the ad, as it was not a national campaign. "The Spice ad was a regional one, and hardly extensive," said a top Rediff official. "Hence, we cannot be blamed."

But HTA is not buying this argument. "There is no way the Spice campaign could have gone unnoticed. All ad agencies keep track of commercials aired on television channels, even regional ones. So there can be no such excuse," says Subramaniam.

Asked if they would take up the matter with the Advertising Standards Council of India, Spice officials said they were weighing all options.