In our Indian society and even as an overall view, mother’s love is known to be the unconditional one for her children. We not just believe this blindly but also experience it on a day to day basis. Mothers go out of the way to provide for their children, give them the best and ensure their comfort. We have been brought up with values where mothers cook food that her children enjoy and ‘maa ke hath ka khana’ has been a big thing always.
The Perception Communicated
But is this scenario changing? Well, we don’t think so, but these latest ads from Swiggy are forcing us to believe this and showing the new age mothers, wives and even grandmothers in a poor light.
All the new ads from Swiggy, show mothers being more involved in either their personal interests or simply being lazy enough to cook for their children and instead ask them to order from Swiggy not just for themselves but for her too. Because of this reason, the ads are definitely not going down too well, neither with the mothers and nor with the children.
The First Ad
This first ad, here shows, that the girl is asking her mother for lunch while the mother is busy doing some exercise steps watching a video on TV and in between she opens the Swiggy app and gives the phone to her daughter saying she can order anything she likes and order for her too. The communication clearly indicates that the mother is putting her interest above her daughter’s request for lunch and is also naming junk food items that parents usually keep their children away from only because she doesn’t have time to cook meals at home.
#Swiggy ad where the mother is working out watching a tv video and teenage daughter asks for dinner and she lists all sorts of fast food n asks her to order outside..is just so hypocritical and unhealthy.
— sweetgirl (@somewoman007) November 11, 2018
#swiggy ads have ruined my life. My mom has stopped cooking. Please find another way to communicate, where it does not involve moms. Please. @swiggy_in
— Yash Sanghvi (@sanghviyash3) November 11, 2018
In the other ad, a girl is insisting her mom for ‘tumhare hath ki bhindi’ and the mother, in turn, asks the same to her mother passing on the task of cooking and here the grandmother opens the Swiggy app and asks them to order for bhindi instead. Whereas in reality, we see grandmothers pampering their grandchildren with home cooked delicacies even more and here even upon being insisted, both the mother and grandmother are passing on the task of cooking.
The other two ads also show women in the same light. In one ad the children and husband are insisting for ‘gajar ka halwa’ and the woman asks to order instead. The second ad shows a little boy asking for food and the mother presents the option of ordering as they both are engaged in playing video games and the mother also doesn’t want to give up on playing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmFAewD055g
Well, the brands should pay some attention to what exactly they are communicating. The ease of ordering food should not ride upon at the cost of showing mothers and women in a demeaning role.
