A top executive of JWT India has stepped down from the advertising agency after a campaign it had created for carmaker Ford sparked controversy last week.
The advertisements, which were leaked last week on the ‘Ads of the World’ website, depicted a number of gagged and handcuffed women in the trunk of the Ford Figo along with various celebrities, alluding to the spacious nature of the small car’s boot.
“As a leader, this incident happened on my watch. I have to take moral responsibility for it,” said Bobby Pawar, Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner, JWT India, who had joined the company over 15 months ago.
The campaign, which was never officially aired, created a furore for its offensive and sexual nature.
“After a thorough internal review, we have taken appropriate disciplinary action with those involved, which included the exit of employees at JWT. These were necessary steps owing to the direct accountability of the concerned individuals as we work to ensure that both the right oversight and processes are strictly enforced so that this never happens again,” JWT said in a statement.
