KUALA LUMPUR: Big Pharmacy has issued an apology in response to harsh online backlash to an advertisement by an influencer mocking Indian people.
“We recognise the hurtful and offensive nature of this content, and claim full responsibility for our lack of due diligence,” said a representative when asked for comment by FMT.
“The content in question goes against our values of diversity and inclusivity and we have taken immediate steps to address this issue internally to ensure that such a situation does not happen again.”
The representative said Big Pharmacy “has always been committed to inclusion and respect”.
In the video, which has been removed, the influencer, wearing an “Indian” outfit, had portrayed as a pharmacy staff apparently scanning items at the counter with a “bindi” drawn on his forehead with a marker.
The video, which had gone viral, was criticised on X for being racist and offensive to the Hindu religion.
“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,” said @MindMechanicxyz.
“Really not acceptable. It’s a branded video. What on earth are the clients thinking?” asked another @jawagars.
We are live on Telegram, subscribe here for breaking news and the latest announcements.