Malala Yousafzai to Sell Mattresses : Offensive Advertisement Agency apologized

NYC, 15 May-2014, Samantha Grossman:Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani activist who rose to prominence after the Taliban shot her in the head in 2012, has become an international symbol. Previously, though, the teen’s name and visage had been used to represent education, women’s rights and bravery. Now, she has been used in an attempt to sell mattresses.

Malala Yousafzai to Sell Mattresses : Offensive Advertisement Agency apologized

Ad agency Ogilvy & Mather created an illustration for Indian mattress company Kurl-On, featuring a sequence of cartoon images depicting Malala getting shot in the face point-blank then tumbling downward onto a mattress. “Bounce Back,” the advertisement’s text says.
The ad, which has not run in any paid media, understandably sparked ire as it began to spread across the web. In the meantime, Ogilvy & Mather has apologized for it.

An Indian mattress company has caused an international uproar over an advertisement depicting activist Malala Yousafzai being shot in the head.Ogilvy & Mather

“We deeply regret this incident and want to apologize to Malala Yousafzai and her family,” Rachel Ufer, a senior partner and spokeswoman for Ogilvy, said in a statement to The Huffington Post. “We are investigating how our standards were compromised in this case and will take whatever corrective action is necessary.”

The poster was part of a series of related advertisements which also featured Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs, but the one depicting Yousafzai attracted the most attention.We’ve reached out to Kurl-On for comment and will update when we hear back.
The company Kurl-On reportedly commissioned a series of three advertisements from the design agency under the motto “Bouncing Back.” One of the other two ads features Gandhi leaving his career as a lawyer before becoming a peace activist and the other shows Steve Jobs’ rise as founder of Apple.

Since the shooting Yousafzai has released her autobiography, and received several humanitarian awards for her activism, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.

Source input: The Huffington Post