Brands
Ogilvy apologises to Malala Yousafzai
MUMBAI: Looks like Indian advertising is coming under the radar for constant controversies. This time Ogilvy & Mather India’s series of ads for Kurl On titled ‘Bounce Back’ trigged negative conversations. The ad series features Malala Yousafzai, Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs.
The art work showcases a cartoon depiction of Pakistani young activist Malala being shot, and then miraculously coming back to life after a night’s rest on a Kurl On mattress. Social media was buzzing with thoughts that the ad is offensive at various levels. Considering the gravity of the situation, Ogilvy went ahead to undertake an investigation into process. There are no talks initiated for the other creatives that use Mahatma Gandhi and Steve Jobs as central characters.
The official release issued by the agency on its website stated, “We deeply regret this incident and want to personally apologise to Malala Yousafzai and her family. We are investigating how our standards were compromised in this case and will take whatever corrective action is necessary. In addition, we have launched a thorough review of our approval and oversight processes across our global network to help ensure that our standards are never compromised again.”
The agency also tweeted about the same.
It can be recalled that last year around the same time, the Ford Figo controversial posters caught the attention of the world. JWT’s Bobby Pawar and Ford India’s Sriram Padmanabhan had to take responsibility of this and had to step down.
So, who will take responsibility from Ogilvy? Any guesses?
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Brands
MakeMyTrip partners with OpenAI to boost AI-powered travel planning
Conversational AI now guides travellers from inspiration straight to booking
GURUGRAM: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, has teamed up with OpenAI to bring a fresh twist to AI-driven travel planning. The collaboration integrates OpenAI’s APIs into MakeMyTrip’s app, making it easier than ever for travellers to move from chatting about dream trips to booking them.
The move centres around MakeMyTrip’s Myra interface, a GenAI trip planning assistant that now handles over 50,000 conversations a day in languages ranging from English and Hindi to Tamil, Telugu and Bengali. Myra helps travellers explore options, create itineraries and book flights, hotels and extras without the usual hassle of searching and filtering.
MakeMyTrip co-founder and group CEO Rajesh Magow said, “With OpenAI, we turn curiosity into confident decisions. When travellers start their journey through conversation, MakeMyTrip becomes a seamless extension of that discovery process. AI combined with our travel data makes it possible to deliver personalised, bookable options at scale.”
OpenAI managing director- international Oliver Jay added, “MakeMyTrip is showing how AI can make travel planning feel more like a conversation than a chore. Advanced AI isn’t just about back-end efficiencies, it’s about transforming the way travellers experience and engage with the platform.”
MakeMyTrip has long invested in AI across the travel lifecycle, from inspiration and discovery to booking and post-sales support. Nearly half of Myra’s queries now come from tier-2 and smaller cities, and voice interactions are booming outside metros, making AI travel assistance more accessible than ever.
With this partnership, MakeMyTrip is not just keeping up with AI trends, it’s aiming to lead the way, turning every traveller’s whim into a smooth, bookable adventure.
