Coca-Cola ad sparks outrage in Bangladesh for denying ties to Israel
An advertisement by Coca-Cola trying to disassociate with Israel has also led to much controversy in Bangladesh and added to the company’s problems. At the same time, new consumer boycotts related to the actions in Gaza continue.
Coca-Cola and several other brands, which originated in the West, are on the receiving end due to boycott campaigns that they are associated with Israel, which has been relentlessly bombing Gaza. The company has repeatedly dismissed its failure to provide funds for military operations in Israel or elsewhere.
The unrest intensified after the October 7 Hamas raid on the southern part of Israel; over 1,200 individuals died, and many hostages were taken. Instead, it responded with a large-scale ground and aerial bombardment of Gaza; the Pillar reports that this caused over 37,000 Palestinian casualties, devastated infrastructure, and precipitated a humanitarian emergency for Gaza’s 2. 3 million residents.
Coca-Cola’s Bengali ad comes after local protests, aiming to address these issues and boost sales affected by the BDS campaign. However, the protests have had an insane influence on Coca-Cola’s market situation, as selling figures have reduced by 23% in Bangladesh.
The ad showed a shopkeeper correcting the misconceptions about the origin of the Coca-Cola company, in particular, denying its affiliation with Israel. To calm the customer’s phobias, he states that Coca-Cola has been consumed globally for 138 years in 190 countries, including Turkey and Spain. Interestingly, the Turkish parliament has prohibited certain Coca-Cola and Nestle products from being sold in its restaurants, whereas they are sold in other restaurants in Turkey with permission. Spain also officially agreed to recognise Palestine last month, which could be considered a step towards peace.
Furthermore, there has been criticism of Coca-Cola’s business practices where the beverage giant is charged with having a factory that directly contributes to the supplies of goods to the illegitimate Israeli settlements. According to NPR, in 2018, a UN study revealed that Coca-Cola was among firms benefiting from such deals.
That fifty-second advertisement, broadcast during a highly anticipated Twenty20 Cup cricket match between two South Asian rivals, India and Pakistan, sparked protests across Bangladesh. The public was angered, and they mobilised online and on the field, protesting against the ad, calling it propaganda, and threatening to up the ante on the boycott.
Due to pressure, Coca-Cola removed the advertisement; the commercial was no longer displayed on the company’s YouTube channel by Thursday. Farhana Sultana of Syracuse University stressed the efficacy of the boycott and, therefore, called for further BDS actions.
Dhaka-based businessman Hasan Habib also condemned the advertisement as a misguided message to distance Coca-Cola from Israel, which only strengthened his determination to continue the Coca–Cola boycott.
After the quarrel, all the actors and directors of the commercial apologised to the general public. When asked to defend the Israel connection or state that he is an opponent of the state, Sharaf Ahmed Jibon, the producer and lead actor, the cleaner said that he did not support Israel. Lifting from the active actor in the said incident, Shimul Sharma, the latter has issued an apology through his Facebook account, thereby admitting having affected his audience through the advertisement in question and vowed to take up future projects that respect the spirit of the nation and the dignity of humane beings.
The pessimistic case, taken from the Coca-Cola fiasco, shows that consumer activism increases due to international tensions and creates a problem for global brand managers regarding geopolitical issues.
