PETALING JAYA: BIG Pharmacy has apologised for its promo video starring a local influencer after it was deemed offensive.
The video depicted a scene within a pharmacy outlet where a customer, played by the influencer, tries to discretely buy condoms from a cashier, also portrayed by the influencer.
However the influencer, a Malaysian-Chinese, donned an “Indian” outfit and portrayed the cashier of Indian descent with offensive racial stereotypes.
The acts include speaking in exaggerated accents and scanning the price of items at the counter with a "bindi" drawn on his forehead with a marker.
Following backlash on social media, the pharmacy has issued a statement to apologise over the video.
"We would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the recent insensitive promotional video on social media.
"We recognise the hurtful and offensive nature of this content, and claim full responsibility for our lack of due diligence.
"The content in question goes against our values of diversity and inclusivity and we have already taken immediate steps to address this issue internally to ensure that such a situation does not happen again.
"We are, and have always been, committed to inclusion and respect.
"This mistake is one that we take seriously, will learn from, and improve as we serve all members of our community.
"We will do better to ensure that our content is respectful, sensitive, and representative of the vibrant cultures within our community," it said.
Although the video has since been removed, snippets and discussions of it can still be found circulating on social media.
