GIVA withdraws Kriti Sanon Rakshabandhan campaign after backlash
Indian jewellery brand GIVA has taken down its Rakshabandhan campaign featuring actor Kriti Sanon and issued an apology following criticism of the ad’s styling and depiction of a Rakhi being tied to a pet dog.
What happened
Indian jewellery brand GIVA withdrew its Rakshabandhan campaign featuring Kriti Sanon and apologised after backlash over the actor’s attire and depiction of
Why this matters
For potential partners or acquirers, GIVA’s campaign reversal highlights the value of diligence on brand-governance processes, crisis response capability, and cultural-risk controls.
What to watch
- Whether criticism persists beyond 48-72 hours or shifts from social commentary to boycott calls.
- Changes in GIVA's engagement rates, follower growth, app/store ratings, website traffic and festive conversion.
- Any clarification from Kriti Sanon, the creative agency, or additional removal of campaign materials.
- Competitor campaigns explicitly foregrounding tradition or indirectly contrasting their cultural sensitivity.
- Evidence of paid-media pauses, revised Rakshabandhan promotions, or delayed celebrity-led launches.
- Replace withdrawn assets quickly with product-focused Rakhi gifting creative and clear cultural context.
- Issue one consistent follow-up message focused on accountability rather than extended debate.
- Review agency briefs, casting, styling and final-approval checkpoints for festival and religious-calendar campaigns.
- Monitor sentiment by region, language and customer cohort; separate organized backlash from sustained buyer concern.
- Use owned channels, creators and retail staff to redirect attention toward festive offers and customer reassurance.