NagaDDB responds to copycat accusations on Malaysia Day video

A recent video made by NagaDDB promoting unity amongst Malaysians recently went viral. On the flip side, the heart-warming video has also come under fire with many labeling it a copy of a video made earlier this year by Save the Children USA called “The Most Important "Sexy" Model Video Ever.A quick look at Advertising + Marketing’s Facebook page and the original article written yesterday showed that while the article was getting traction, it was being criticised for its lack of authenticity. The process of adapting an idea is not an unheard of in the advertising industry. Idea theft is a common gripe the industry has and the lament commonly heard from the agency side is that once an idea is shared by the agency, it is easy for others to take the idea and run with it as their own.So is this a case of idea theft? Advertising + Marketing asked.Advertising + Marketing reached out to the agency behind the campaign for a response on the accusations. A spokesperson from NagaDDB said that the agency was well aware of the comments that have been going around that the idea is taken from somewhere else.“The fact is this tactic was adopted by Always and Save the Children, ourselves and a few other brands/institution. It has been used quite a few times before. In our view, obviously the most important take out from this is not at all the tactic itself but the context of what we are trying to do,” he said.He also added that thus far the reaction from the Malaysian public has been by and large extremely positive and encouraging in terms of passing along the message that racism is abhorred and condemned by most.“If the medium or execution is best suited for the message then there is no reason why it shouldn't be used especially for something we feel is extremely important to bring to light,” he added.Watch the two videos below and share your thoughts with us:Video by Naga DDB:http://youtu.be/rzpl_LhPmtEVideo by Save the Children USA:http://youtu.be/bOXMKEnra8w