Source: The Drum
Leo Burnett has been called out by a filmmaker for using an idea she pitched in 2014 as the basis of the Cannes-winning film ‘Rubber Boy’ for Petronas tires during Chinese New Year this year.
Tan Chui Mui, the filmmaker, claims that her pitch and involvement for the work has been copied by the agency and should have been taken out of the final film.
She has launched a social media campaign aimed at highlighting the issue in order to make changes and improvements in the creative industry, rather than compensation from the agency.
The tussle between the filmmaker and Leo Burnett is being played quite publically online as Tan Chui Mui is posting correspondences between herself and Leo Burnett creative director James Yap. Likewise, Yap is also posting responses online, alongside business director Eswara Van Sharma.
Leo Burnett says it has made efforts to contact the filmmaker, despite some posts on social media claiming otherwise. The complaint and conversation has now moved on to involve lawyers.
The news comes not long after another Malaysian agency, Dentsu Utama, had to pull a win in a 4As award after a British artist called it out for plagiarism.
It’s also hot on the heels of multiple incidences at Cannes Lions that involved agencies creating fake ‘scam’ work in order to win awards. Grey Singapore has defended its work on an app that helps identify ships carrying refugees, claiming it’s still in beta. Later in the week it transpired that a controversial ad for a painkiller was created and paid for purely for the awards show by BBDO, rather than the client.
