Deep mist of controversies against Patanjali remains enigmatic

Learning outcomes This case study helps students to understand, analyse, and evaluate the impact of series of controversies, misleading advertisements and ethical aspects of Patanjali. After completion of the case study, students will also be able to analyse how the company could rebrand itself. Case overview/synopsis Patanjali Ayurved was a household name in India. The company was immensely popular in Ayurvedic medicines. However, controversies came one after another regarding its misleading advertisements, quality, tax-related issues, etc. Finally, the matter reached to Supreme Court after the issue was raised by the Indian Medical Association, which filed a petition against the Patanjali advertisement titled “Misconceptions spread by allopathy: save yourself and the country from the misconceptions spread by pharma and medical industry”. The honourable court also gave the verdict regarding this, compelling the company to make an apology through print media. This was imposed for “misbranding and misleading advertisements”. The challenges the company faced at this juncture were to protect the reputation of the company and to adhere to the directives of the honourable Supreme Court to avoid further complications related to misleading advertisements. Complexity academic level This case study is appropriate for graduate-level programme in marketing management. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing