We’re sorry, says Big Pharmacy over racist ad - Spotify Vibes

Big Pharmacy apologises for racially insensitive ad after online backlash

Big Pharmacy, a pharmacy chain in Malaysia, has issued a public apology for a promotional video that featured a local influencer mocking Indian people and their religious symbol. The video, which was posted on social media on Oct 26, 2023, sparked outrage and criticism from netizens who called it racist and disrespectful.

The video showed the influencer, who is of Chinese descent, wearing an "Indian" outfit and playing the role of a cashier at a Big Pharmacy outlet. The influencer used an exaggerated Indian accent and scanned the items at the counter with a "bindi" drawn on his forehead with a marker. The "bindi" is a dot worn on the forehead by many Hindus as a sign of their faith.

The video was intended to be a humorous skit to promote Big Pharmacy's products and services, but it backfired as many viewers found it offensive and insensitive to the Indian community and their culture. The video was widely shared on X (formerly Twitter) and other social media platforms, where users expressed their anger and disappointment at the pharmacy chain and the influencer.

One user, @tgwtst, who first flagged the video on X, wrote: "Dear Indian people.. Watch this and let me know how you feel.. Am I overreacting? They keep deleting my comments tho". Another user, @MindMechanicxyz, questioned how Big Pharmacy's production team green-lighted the video. "Who on earth cleared this for production? Really surprised how multiple people said YES let's make this ad and degrade one of the most important aspects of a religion to sell Panadol," they posted.

Following the online backlash, Big Pharmacy removed the video from its social media accounts and issued an apology on Oct 27, 2023. In a statement, the pharmacy chain said: "We would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the recent insensitive promotional video on social media. We recognise the hurtful and offensive nature of this content, and claim full responsibility for our lack of due diligence. The content in question goes against our values of diversity and inclusivity and we have already taken immediate steps to address this issue internally to ensure that such a situation does not happen again. We are, and have always been, committed to inclusion and respect. This mistake is one that we take seriously, will learn from, and improve as we serve all members of our community. We will do better to ensure that our content is respectful, sensitive, and representative of the vibrant cultures within our community."

The influencer, whose name has not been disclosed, has also apologised for his role in the video. He said that he did not intend to hurt anyone's feelings or mock any religion. He said that he was unaware of the significance of the "bindi" and that he was following the script given by Big Pharmacy. He said that he has learned from his mistake and will be more careful in the future.

The incident has raised questions about the need for more cultural sensitivity and awareness in advertising and social media content creation. Some netizens have suggested that Big Pharmacy should undergo diversity training and hire more people from different backgrounds to avoid such blunders in the future. Others have urged the public to forgive and move on from the incident, saying that everyone makes mistakes and can learn from them.

Watch Big Pharmacy Racist Ad Video

Conclusion: 

Big Pharmacy, a pharmacy chain in Malaysia, has apologised for a racially insensitive ad that featured an influencer mocking Indian people and their religious symbol. The ad sparked outrage and criticism from netizens who called it racist and disrespectful. The pharmacy chain said that it has taken immediate steps to address the issue internally and ensure that such a situation does not happen again. The influencer also apologised for his role in the video and said that he was unaware of the significance of the “bindi”. The incident has raised questions about the need for more cultural sensitivity and awareness in advertising and social media content creation.

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