Controversial Coca-Cola advertisement back on YouTube
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The commercial was produced by the popular actor of the time Sharaf Ahmed Jibon where he also played the lead role
The new ad campaign released on June 9 faced massive backlash from the general population. As a result, it was taken down on June 11.
Netizens speculated that the controversy would be swept under the rug. But the commercial was uploaded again on the evening of June 11 and can be seen in the old link on Coca-Cola's YouTube channel. Although the comment section and Dislike buttons are disabled, the Like option is open.
However, the commercial has not been seen on the verified Facebook page of Coca-Cola Bangladesh as of the time of writing of this report. As a matter of fact, there was no announcement or response from the authorities in this regard.
The commercial was produced by the popular actor of the time Sharaf Ahmed Jibon where he also played the lead role. Another popular face here from the “Bachelor Point” series is Shimul Sharma.
The producer and lead actor of the ad, Sharaf Ahmed Jibon, expressed regret in his defense on June 10 saying: "I have not taken the side of Israel anywhere in this advertisement and I am never in favor of Israel."
Shimul Sharma, the other model of the ad, also apologized and has accepted responsibility stating: 'I have not yet become an actor to give recognition, because I have not yet developed the perseverance and foresight needed to be an actor, I am just trying. So maybe not understanding my work today has hurt my audience, my family and the people of the country. If I am going to act in any work in the future, I will certainly consider our country's values, human rights, people's attitude with enough respect and then act. I have just begun my journey in life, forgive me for my mistakes and wish me well in becoming a conscientious artist in the future.'
Although a popular product in market, Coca-Cola is a product of Israel. Many have demanded to boycott this country's product due to the war on Palestine. Coca-Cola Bangladesh recently made an advertisement with Sharaf Ahmed Jibon to clarify their stand. It was trying to explain that Coca-Cola is not an Israeli company. It has a factory itself in Palestine and Bangladeshi Coca-Cola is made in Bangladesh.
The last dialogue of the ad is: “Take a sip, then search”. That is, without listening to rumours, search on Google and see which country Coca-Cola originated from.
Not only did it not work, but the demand of the old boycott got new life breathed into it. Regardless of who is actually making this claim, it has yet to see any institutional or organizational form outside of Facebook.