Participant's Death in Unilever's Reality TV Show: Who's Responsible?

The sad and tragic death of Saad Khan, a 32 year old contestant in a branded Reality TV Show that was intended as a promotional tie in for Unilever's Clear Shampoo, raises questions of where corporate responsibility begins and ends. The TV show, managed by media agency Mindshare and apparently produced by Mumbai-based production house Working Hands Production, was being filmed in Bangkok, when Saad drowned in a pond while performing a diving stunt, on August 19th.

The news of the death was first broken by Aarpix, an online ezine. In the aftermath of the anger, sadness and outrage that poured across the internet against Unilever Pakistan, the company's response was slow and predictable. Claiming that they had no role in the production of the show (which is true) and thus distancing themselves from any liability as regards the participant's death, Unilever did state that they were is in discussions to provide for Khan’s wife and four children ‘out of rightness.’ My old friend Fareshteh Aslam is the External Communication Manager at Unilevers and I'm confident that she will see this expressed commitment through. However, I do wish that her official response had been couched in more sensitivity than it appeared to be. I'm also disappointed that there was nothing on their website about this event. Ditto with the Pakistan Advertising Association and Mindshare.

Since all facts relating to the incident (for e.g. what legal documentation and safety precautions were in place) are not yet known, it would be unwise to speculate over what happened. What is clear though, is that the unfortunate event brings to the fore issues of responsible advertising, with the argument of sponsors--in this case Unilevers--being equally responsible for what their agencies and production partners do. To draw an analogy with the manufacturing industry, if Nike can be held responsible for ensuring good and decent work practices down their supply chain, why shouldn't sponsors of ads or branded TV shows be held similarly accountable?

Will follow this story as it unfolds and report here, but there is a need to build up public pressure for ensuring disclosure on the event. I've created this online petition which you can sign. Spread the word.

Meanwhile, spare a thought for the family of the departed and if you want to, visit this online condolence book set up by Aarpix.