GIVA Ad Backlash: Six Weeks Later, Sanon Still Answers
GIVA withdrew its Kriti Sanon Raksha Bandhan ad from all media on Aug. 26, 2026, and said it never meant to hurt sentiments. Six weeks later, on Oct. 7, Sanon was still discussing the row, telling Kareena Kapoor Khan her outfit became a six-person panel discussion on prime-time news. The brand withdrew the ad and moved on, while the actor kept answering.
What happened with the GIVA Kriti Sanon ad?
GIVA released a Raksha Bandhan campaign showing Kriti Sanon in an Indo-Western outfit tying a rakhi to a pet dog, and withdrew it on Aug. 26, 2026 after online criticism, according to The Week. BestMediaInfo reports the campaign ran under GIVA's "FureverSibling" proposition and that criticism centered largely on Sanon's attire and on showing a rakhi tied to a pet.
Sanon wore an ivory bralette-style blouse with a cape and an embroidered skirt, and celebrated with her brother before extending the ritual to the family pet. The table lays out who spoke and when.
Date
Event
Source
2025
GIVA features Anushka Sharma tying a rakhi to her pet dog in its "Ties of Love" campaign
GIVA's statement said the brand respects Indian culture, traditions and festivals, explained that the campaign aimed to extend the celebration to pets, and withdrew the ad from all media. It used conditional wording about hurt sentiments: if the ad had inadvertently hurt some segments of society, that was not the intent, as BestMediaInfo reported.
Statement element
What GIVA said
What remains open
Respect for culture
Said it holds the highest regard for Indian culture, traditions and festivals
Nothing open
Intent
Said the campaign aimed to include pets in the celebration
Nothing open
Acknowledgment
Conditional: if the ad hurt sentiments, that was not the intent
The published portions do not address the criticism of the outfit directly
Action
Withdrew the ad from all media
Nothing open
Support for the actor
Published portions do not mention Sanon
No joint statement reported
Reason for withdrawal
Safety concerns for stores and teams, reported later by Jagran Josh
Not in the portions of the Aug. 26 statement quoted by The Week or BestMediaInfo
Who carried the story after GIVA pulled the ad?
Sanon carried the story after GIVA pulled the ad: she answered critics on Instagram in August and discussed the row again on Oct. 7, 2026, according to The Statesman. She told Kareena Kapoor Khan she could not believe her outfit had become a "six-person panel discussion" on prime-time news, as The Statesman reported, and Oneindia carried the same remark.
Four outlets covered the Oct. 7 remarks, and all four headlines named Sanon: The Statesman, Oneindia, Outlook India and Jagran Josh. Two of the four headlines, from Oneindia and Jagran Josh, do not name GIVA at all. When the endorser's name is the search term, coverage follows the person and not the brand. That is Everything-PR's reading of the headlines.
What should a brand and its talent agree before a campaign is pulled?
A brand and its talent should agree four items before any campaign launches, because the talent keeps answering questions long after the brand goes quiet. The table compares each item with what the GIVA case shows. It is Everything-PR's analysis.
The actor answers questions for weeks after the brand stops
Sanon, August to October 2026
One stated reason for withdrawal
A reason reported later can read as a second story
GIVA: hurt sentiments in August, store and team safety reported later
A plan for television debate cycles
Prime-time panels turn a styling debate into days of coverage
Sanon's six-person panel remark
Agreed terms for later comments
Talent remarks reopen coverage of the brand
The Oct. 7 remarks on What Women Want
Why it works: a joint holding statement works because the talent's later comments set the headlines. All four outlets that covered Sanon's Oct. 7, 2026 remarks led with her name, as The Statesman, Oneindia, Outlook India and Jagran Josh show.
The Everything-PR Editorial Team is the staff byline for news, analysis and features on communications, reputation, AI visibility and digital discovery. Everything-PR has published since 2009. AI tools assist with research and drafting, and every article is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Coverage follows the Editorial Policy, and substantive corrections are noted on the article under the Corrections Policy.
