It's a matter of taste, this advertising campaign for an insurance company featuring beleaguered Yuvraj Singh. The company in question may think of it as a great marketing opportunity, with the cricketer candidly discussing his triumphs as well as tribulations on camera. Yuvraj may think it perfectly okay too, considering it's his health and his business alone. For a great many others, however, it's the sort of thing that tends to leave a bad taste in one's mouth.


Yuvraj Singh

For those who haven't seen it yet -- presumably a small number, considering it has received heavy airplay since it went live on January 30 -- the advertisement features the cricketer mouthing a personal armchair philosophy: 'Jab tak balla chaltha hai, that hain. Jab balla nahin chalega tho ufffd'u00a0 ('You can rule only until your bat rules ufffd'). Juxtaposed against this, over the past weekend, were news reports on all channels detailing Yuvraj's chemotherapy sessions in the United States.

Going by most reactions online, the brand appears to have hit a wrong note here. These are some of the words used to describe its decision on Twitter: 'Pathetic', 'brutal exploitation', 'insensitive', 'crass opportunism', 'opportunistic' and 'appalling'. Then again, it's Yuvraj's call entirely. What do you think?