Coke ad faces backlash in Bangladesh as actors forced to apologize

A 60-second-long Coke ad faces backlash in Bangladesh has caused a storm of criticism for the brand over its attempt to distance itself from Israel amid the genocide in Gaza.

A report by Al-Jazeera says that Coca-Cola sales have declined by about 23 per cent in Bangladesh since the genocide in Gaza started.

Consequently, the beverage brand’s advertising campaign in the country has moved from full-page newspaper advertisements to prominent placements on news websites in order to convince people otherwise.

On Sunday, the company released an advertisement on television and social media to dispel the “misinformation” that Coca-Cola is an Israeli product.

The advertisement argued that the beverage “has been enjoyed for 138 years by people in 190 countries.

The advertisement opens on a hot day in a market, with a young man approaching a middle-aged shopkeeper as the latter is watching a song from Coke Studio.

“How are you, Sohail? Should I give you a [bottle of] Coke?” asks the shopkeeper, turning a table fan towards his sweaty customer.
The man replies: “No, Bablu bhai [brother], I am not drinking this stuff anymore.”

When the shopkeeper asks about the reason, the young man says: “This stuff is from ‘that place’.” He does not name the “place” — but it soon becomes clear that he is referring to Israel.

Through a conversation with the man and his friends, the shopkeeper explains that Coca-Cola is not from “that place” and that claims linking it to “that place” are misinformation.

The shopkeeper tells them: “Listen, guys, Coke is not at all from ‘that place.’ For the past 138 years, people in 190 countries have been drinking Coke.
They drink it in Turkey, Spain, and Dubai. Even Palestine has a Coke factory.”

In the end, relieved Sohail asks for a bottle of Coke.

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The ad, which featured famous Bengali actors Saraf Ahmed Zibon and Shimul Sharma, drew intense criticism and threats of boycott, forcing the two of them to issue apologies.

In an opinion piece for The Daily Star, authors Nahalay Nafisa Khan and Azmim Azran called it the “power of boycott.”