Did Facebook fail to handle its 'Free Basics' campaign? Brand consultants say it missed the trick

With Facebook’s Free Basics exit from India, brand consultants say the social networking site could not handled the campaign in the country.

TRAI rejected Facebook’s Free Basics over discriminatory pricing for data services.

"It's fair to say it was a mishandled campaign for a company that's trying to launch a new initiative. It was a naked show of muscle power," Futurebrands India CEO Santosh Desai told ET.

Experts also add that the word about Free Basics did not go well with public as it was alleged of misusing net neutrality.

As per ET, Facebook had sanctioned upwards of Rs 150 crore for the Free Basics campaign.

"While the campaign or its aggressive nature cannot be the only reason behind Trai's decision, I think Indians didn't relate to it so well. They should have reached out to influential bloggers and used social media more effectively to explain what it actually meant, "MG Parameswaran, former executive director of FCB Ulka, told ET.

The mishandled campaign also reminded the public of Uber and Maggi.

Uber had to deal with severe criticism after a passenger was raped in an Uber cab, but the taxi aggregator bounced back. Maggi also regained foothold after it was banned.

(Image: Reuters)