Flipkart Faces Backlash Over Obituary-Style Freedom Sale Ad; Shobhaa De Calls It 'Insensitive & Disgusting'

Flipkart is facing backlash on social media for an advertisement for its Freedom Sale that used a visual format similar to obituary notices. The advertisement featured photographs and personal details of living individuals placed inside memorial-style boxes, with a caption stating that while the people would continue to live, Flipkart's deals were about to expire.

Several social media users questioned whether the images were real or generated using artificial intelligence. The most prominent critic was author and columnist Shobhaa De, who called the ad "the most self-serving, disgusting and insensitive ad" and urged consumers to boycott Flipkart. Other reactions ranged from calling for the dismissal of the creative team to questioning the sensitivity of using death as a marketing tactic.