Today I want to talk about an ad that didn’t quite click: Sleepy Owl’s Celebrity Doppleganger Campaign.
This is because their latest campaign is exactly the same as Surreal's.
While I understand getting inspired by another brand’s creativity, I'm saddened to say that this was blatant plagerism. Replicating an idea within the Indian context does not qualify as getting “inspired”.
Don’t get me wrong, I think one can get inspired from time to time. However, if Sleepy Owl Coffee were to get inspired by SURREAL, I would suggest taking cue from just the format of their campaign not the format AND thought. Formats are rarely new, and hence taking inspiration from them from time to time is fair game.
The format in this case was: A cheeky claim followed by the truth stated after an asterisks in small font.
Here is an example of what I think a fair way to get inspired by Surreal's ad would have been.
ChatGPT can and should replace us if we fail to be creative. During times like these, we must really up our game and strive to be a lot more creative.
Let me know what you think. Do you think it’s fair to copy a foreign ad and adapt it within the Indian context?
What are some ethical ways to seek inspiration from other creative pieces?
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