Coca-Cola’s new ad in Bangladesh: Social media is buzzing
Coca-Cola ad has sparked outrage in Bangladesh by denying ties to Israel The Sunday Times
A 60-second ad tried to distance itself from Israel in the face of widespread boycotts and declining sales over the Gaza war. Moreover, the advertisement featured two top actors from Bangladesh.
The ad in Bengali begins with a young man approaching a middle-aged shopkeeper watching a song on his mobile phone from a popular music series by Coke Studios,
which is promoted by the cola company.
“How are you, Sohail? Shall I get you a bottle of coke?” asks the shopkeeper, turning the table fan on the sweaty customer. The man replies: “No bablu bhai [brother], I don’t drink this stuff anymore.”
When the shopkeeper asked why, the young man said: “This thing belongs to that place”. He did not name the “place” — but it soon became clear that he was talking about Israel. The shopkeeper, through conversation with the man and his friends, explains to them that Coca-Cola is not “of that place” and that the claim of associating it with “that place” is misinformation.
The shopkeeper tells them: “Listen, guys, Coke doesn’t belong there at all. People in 190 countries have been drinking Coke for the past 138 years. They drink it in Turkey, Spain, and Dubai. There are even coke factories in Palestine. Relieved, Sohail asks for a Coke bottle.
The ad was enough to spark criticism of the beverage giant for its efforts to distance itself from Israel amid the Gaza war. Since October 2023, when Israel’s offensive on the Gaza Strip began, dozens of companies, including Coca-Cola, have seen sales decline in Muslim-majority countries, with consumers calling for a boycott of the companies.
