Why KidZania paused promotion of viral newspaper ad featuring Air India plane- The Week

A front-page Air India-KidZania advertisement featured in the Mid-Day newspaper drew attention hours after the tragic crash of Flight AI 171 on Thursday. 

In what seemed to be an uncanny coincidence, the ad depicts an Air India aircraft emerging out the side of a building, resembling the incident that happened in Ahmedabad. Netizens on social media pointed out the eerie coincidence which unsettled them due to the crash.

The KidZania ad, which was prepared in advance for Father’s Day celebrations, advertises an aviation experience for kids where they can roleplay as pilots and cabin crew in a miniature setting. 

The visuals show a family getting ready for a trip. Behind them, a plane emerges out of a building. When placed side by side, the images of the crash seem to look similar to the ad’s imagery, social media users noted.

The timing of the ad is what drove netizens to share it on X and there were no backlash or complaints. 

One user said that the ad “did a Simpsons”, a popular animated show that’s known to have made a list of uncanny valley predictions of the future.

KidZania confirmed to NDTV that imagery in the ad is common across all collaborations with Air India. A post by Air India that announced the launch of KidZania in Delhi-NCR in 2024, along with its image, show a life-size recreation of the ad image in front of the building.

While speaking to NDTV, KidZania offered their condolences to the families grieving due to the crash. Regarding the advertisement, they said, “The advertisement was submitted well before the unfortunate event, as part of a pre-planned summer campaign. We remain sensitive to this tragedy and have paused any further promotion of the said visual.”

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