Kent RO Systems, known for its water purifiers, has apologised and withdrawn an advertisement that denigrates domestic helps, among those worst affected by the pandemic-induced lockdown, following a social media backlash.

The pictorial ad for Kent’s “Atta Maker & Bread Maker”, released on social media platforms, asks: “Are you allowing your maid to knead atta dough by hand? Her hands may be infected.” The ad then goes on to warn: “Now don’t compromise on health and purity.”

The ad, a panel of three pictures, shows a pair of hands kneading dough in the first two boxes and Hema Malini and her younger daughter Ahana Deol endorsing the machine in the third. Hema, veteran actress and BJP parliamentarian, has been a long-time brand ambassador of Kent.

After social media erupted in outrage over the “discriminatory”, “anti-poor” and “insensitive” ad, with actress Swara Bhaskar, IPS officer Arun Bothra and former Delhi chief secretary Shailaja Chandra lending their voice to the protest, Kent withdrew the ad. Hema, who too faced criticism with many pointing to her pre-election photo-ops of harvesting wheat, said the ad did “not resonate with my values and are inappropriate”.

On Twitter, Kent RO replied individually to each person who condemned the ad with a message from company chairman Mahesh Gupta. “Please accept our sincere apologies for having published the Ad of Kent Atta & Bread Maker. It was unintentional but wrongly communicated and it has been withdrawn. We support and respect all sections of the society,” the message said.

Hema issued a statement saying: “Views expressed by the recent advertisement of Kent Atta by @KentROSystems do not resonate with my values and are inappropriate. The Chairman has already tendered a public apology for the mistake. I hereby wish to put on record that I respect and stand by all sections of society.”

Domestic helps, though ubiquitous, are involved in one of the most thankless and low-paid jobs and are among those the most badly hit by the lockdown, with households shutting them out as part of precautionary measures.

Kent RO is not the first company to take advantage of the pandemic and the people’s fears to sell products through controversial ads.

Police earlier this month arrested the owner of Chennai’s Jain Bakeries and Confectioners for a WhatsApp ad that said: “Made by Jains on orders, no Muslim staff.” The bakery had claimed that it was responding to customers enquiring if they employed Muslims in the wake of several people who attended a Tablighi Jamaat meeting in Delhi testing positive for the coronavirus.

Amul drew flak for a cartoon on repatriation flights from China that said “Wuhan se yahaan laya”. Many saw in Amul’s traditional word play a tone of discouragement for the repatriation of Indians stranded abroad.Communication and brand guru N. Chandramouli told The Telegraph, asked about the Kent ad: “It is the (ad) agency that is entirely at fault. Not every owner of a company keeps track of social media ads. While Mahesh Gupta has taken onus of it and apologised, it is the agency that should have done so….

“If you know your audience, you will have an empathetic understanding and that will reflect in your ads. Using FU&D (fear, uncertainty and doubt — a disinformation strategy used in sales) is a potent but dangerous way to sell. You are treading a flimsy path.”

Chandramouli explained that the ad had hit a “raw nerve” as potential customers actually fear the coronavirus and are being extra cautious.

“If you have a domestic help, you may want her to wash her hands three times. You may not tell her directly, but may drop a hint. If for example, someone tells a maid not to make dough as she may be infected you will cringe…. It comes down to, do you know your audience well enough?”

He added: “It may actually help sales, but the ad agency will suffer…. In the medium term it may hurt the brand — like in the case of the Chennai bakery — but public memory is short.”Shweta Purandare, secretary-general of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a self-regulatory industry body, said the outfit had identified some 350 ads, following a request from the Ayush ministry, that go against their code of self-regulation.

“The ad should be honest, not offensive, legally sound, and fair to the competition. These ads pushed the envelope, and some were borderline offensive,” she said.

In the Kent RO case, the company immediately responded to private communication from the ASCI, and public sentiment, Purandare said.

“Ideally, we strive for prompt action by advertisers…. Nine out of 10 comply. We also have an Independent Consumer Complaints Council with civil society members and corporates. Finally, if nothing works, we move the appropriate regulatory body, like the Ayush ministry for natural remedies or the consumer affairs ministry,” she added.