Bounce back from this: Agency apologises for showing Malala being shot in mattress ad

The agency will investigate how the ads came to be made, a spokesperson said.

The advertising agency responsible for using cartoon images of Malala Yousufzai for the promotion of an Indian mattress brand has apologised and launched an investigation of the matter, TheGuardian reported.

The poster which runs with the tagline ‘Bounce Back’, made by the Indian offices of WPP-owned network Ogilvy & Mather for bed firm Kurl-On, showed series of images of Malala being shot, falling backwards covered in blood, being put on a drip and then bouncing off a mattress and recovering to receive an award.

Ogilvy's press spokesperson for Asia Pacific, Greg Carton, apologising to Malala and her family said, "The recent Kurl-On ads from our India office are contrary to the beliefs and professional standards of Ogilvy & Mather and our clients."

"We deeply regret this incident and want to personally apologise to Malala Yousafzai and her family," said Carton.

While vowing to review the agency’s approval system, he said the agency will investigate how the ads came to be made.

"We are investigating how our standards were compromised in this case and will take whatever corrective action is necessary," he said. "In addition, we have launched a thorough review of our approval and oversight processes across our global network to help ensure that our standards are never compromised again."

Besides Malala, the campaign also includes two other ads. One featured Gandhi leaving his career as a barrister to become a peace activist. The other featuring Steve Jobs making a comeback after he was kicked out of Apple.

The spokesperson said that only the Jobs ad had run in paid-for media, in a local newspaper in India, while the other two were featured on an advertising industry website.