Ganguly lifts Fortune brand in latest print ad after spell of trolling

The brand was trolled after Sourav Ganguly, the brand’s endorser, suffered a heart attack. The new ad pushes Gamma Oryzanol and heart health conversation to the fore

Indians are looking for Gamma Oryzanol on the internet today (as per Google Trends). Thanks to Fortune cooking oil’s latest print ad featuring Sourav Ganguly. The long format copy presented as a signed letter from the former cricketer himself, is the brand’s come back after a brief stretch of online trolling.

Ganguly, who became Fortune’s brand ambassador in February last year (2020), recently suffered a heart attack. Prior to this he was seen in an ad for Fortune’s Rice Bran oil which promotes the oil’s heart health benefits. Fortune faced severe trolling on social media as netizens chose to highlight the irony of the situation and overlooked the fact that the oil was only a healthier lifestyle choice, and not a remedy.

Following its endorser’s condition, the brand decided to temporarily halt its advertising campaign across mediums. Angshu Mallick, deputy CEO, Adani Wilmar had then told afaqs! that the president of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and former team India captain could be seen reinforcing the product’s health benefits and defending the brand himself in a follow up brand campaign.

The ‘letter’ visible across leading publications starts with Ganguly informing that his heart is fine now and that he has recovered. He then moves on to list a few reasons that could increase the possibility of heart ailments. While the ad does not push a specific brand or product, it does highlight ‘Gamma Oryzanol’, an anti-oxidant present in rice-bran. It is known to help control bad cholesterol in the body and has been prominently advertised by Fortune in the past.

Ganguly's 'hand-heart' pose and the copy "today seems like a good day to talk about the heart" in the ad also comes as a Valentine's Day special.

The copy further takes the education route putting forth a bunch of good heart health practices like regular checkups, workouts, sleep, etc.