Claim:
An image purportedly showing an advertisement by the Indian dairy cooperative society Amul, featuring the Amul girl with the following Hindi text, “Vote or don’t vote, take the right decision. Your vote is priceless”, is being widely shared on social media platforms. The image was shared by Kiran Bedi, former lieutenant governor of Puducherry, on X (formerly Twitter). The post was viewed more than 14,000 times at the time of filing this story.
The image has also gained widespread traction on Facebook. One Facebook user wrote in Hindi, “Your vote is priceless !! Truly the taste of India.”
However, this viral advertisement is fake.
Investigation:
Amul called the advertisement “fake” and issued a statement on its official X handle (archive here) on May 6, 2024. The statement read, “We wish to inform you that a fake message featuring the Amul Girl is being shared on WhatsApp and social media. This advertisement has not been created by Amul. In the said post, the name of the creator of this fake advertisement is mentioned as “p kanil”, against whom Amul will take legal action. Amul strongly urges all voters to vote in the ongoing elections and strengthen our democracy. We also request you to kindly share this fake advertisement alert with those who have shared the fake message with you (sic).”
Further, all of Amul’s cartoon advertisements are available on its website (archive here) under the section called “Amul Hits”. And despite an extensive search, we could not locate the now-viral ad on the website.
Additionally, Amul has released just three ads related to the ongoing 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The first ad (archive here) was issued during the first phase of polling on April 19, followed by a second ad (archive here) during the second phase on April 25, and the latest one (archive here) was shared during the third phase on May 6.
All official ads by Amul feature the “Amul — The Taste of India” logo, which is noticeably absent in the viral image. This absence raises questions about the authenticity of the image and its association with Amul’s official advertising campaigns.
Conclusion: This viral image falsely depicts the Amul girl in the viral ad to give the impression that Amul has created the ad. This ad was not created or published by Amul.
(This story was originally published by Logically Facts, and republished by Lighthouse Journalism as a part of the Shakti Collective.)
