Flipkart’s latest attempt to make its sale advertisement stand out has certainly managed to get people talking. But in good way? Let’s just say it is not in the way the e-commerce platform expected.
The company is facing criticism online over a promotional creative for the final day of its Freedom Sale. Many users questioned the idea behind the campaign.
What Did Flipkart’s Viral Advertisement Show?
The advertisement used a visual format usually associated with obituaries and memorial notices. Photographs and personal details of individuals appeared inside separate boxes. This naturally gave creation an appearance of a death announcement at first glance.
But the ad made it clear that the people featured were not actually dead. Instead, Flipkart was using the format to highlight that the sale was coming to an end.
The advertisement carried the line, “While they continue to live, our deals will soon leave.”
That comparison did not work for everyone.
Why Is Flipkart Facing Backlash?
Several social media users felt that using imagery associated with death and mourning to promote a shopping sale crossed a line. Critics described the campaign as insensitive and inappropriate while others questioned whether a sale needed such a concept in the first place.
The reaction also focused on the tagline with some users saying that the combination of obituary-style photographs and “We Aren’t Sad At All” made the advertisement uncomfortable.
What Did Shobhaa De Say About Flipkart’s Ad?
Author and columnist Shobhaa De was among those who strongly criticised the campaign. Sharing a picture of the advertisement on X (formerly Twitter), she called it insensitive and urged consumers to boycott the platform.
“The most self-serving, disgusting and insensitive ad! How dare you, @Flipkart. Shame on you!! Hope your ‘sale’ flops and consumers boycott you!”
The most self-serving, disgusting and insensitive ad ! How dare you @Flipkart . Shame on you !! Hope your “sale ” flops and consumers boycott you!#flipcart #sale #freedom pic.twitter.com/8eJ9Ft1Xkj
— Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) August 16, 2026
Her post added to the discussion around whether brands should use sensitive themes such as death and mourning as part of promotional campaigns.
What Are People Saying About The Flipkart Advertisement?
The internet reaction has not been completely one sided. While several users criticised Flipkart, some defended the advertisement particularly because the images used in it were reportedly AI generated.
One user questioned the criticism, writing, “They all AI generated images, right? What’s the big deal then,”
Another user reacted, “Is this real!!! Gosh who are these people and which generation thinking the elders are irrelevant!!! What are we becoming?”
One comment read, “Creativity is dead. So don’t bother. Flipkart has called it a day. Atrocious,”
“These are AI-generated images, not real people. Personally, I didn’t find this insensitive at all,” someone else commented.
The debate also led to questions about ethics in advertising with a person asking, “I hope Flipkart and other companies have Ethics Committee.”
Another comment called the campaign, “Utterly despicable! Pathetic of you Flipkart”
An individual also criticised both the concept and the tagline, writing, “Fully agree!! Crass and poorly conceived. Hurting people’s sentiments just for increasing sales figure. I am sure there could be better ways!! And the tagline.. ‘we aren’t sad at all’ hardly makes any sense,”
“While promoting freedom sale, Flipkart is giving customers the option to seek freedom from them. Imagine if the owner passes away, will the company make a similar post on him with freedom sale?” read another remark.
Did Flipkart really cross a line? What do you think?
