BMW advert sparks online outrage over UAE national anthem
A Twitter hashtag "suspend BMW ads" began trending on Tuesday, with users slamming the “improper” use of the national anthem
A commercial showing UAE football players in a stadium cutting short their recital of the national anthem to take advantage of an offer on BMW cars has prompted social media uproar this week.
A Twitter hashtag "suspend BMW ads" began trending on Tuesday, with users slamming the “improper” use of the national anthem and calling for the advert to be pulled.
#ايقاف_اعلان_bmw مثال لبعض الإعلانات التي تكون نتائجها سلبية pic.twitter.com/zvkzzyiKnL
— abdullah alsuhaibani (@amedia7) May 31, 2016
The 30-second commercial showed players singing the national anthem, presumably before a match begins, but they suddenly stop once they hear the BMW car engines and leave the pitch, rushing to ride in the cars.
One Twitter user wrote: "So all you patriots could find was the national anthem (to use)? Where is the patriotism you speak of?"
Another user blamed the “materialistic nature” of the players to take part in such an ad, while others asked for BMW to apologize.
الاعلان يوضح قيم ومبادئ اللاعبين المادية والماديه فقط والسلام الوطني لا يجب الاستهانه به بهذه الطريقة يجب محاسبة الجميع #ايقاف_اعلان_bmw
— هدى (@HBALLAITH) June 1, 2016
Whoa! Twitter is off the roof over the new BMW ad in the UAE. Stupid idea in my opinion. #ايقاف_اعلان_bmw
— Odai Al-Ajarmeh (@OdaiJO) May 31, 2016
الاعتذار يجب أن يكون من الشركة المنتجة وأن تعتذر شركة BMW أن كانت تريد رضا عملائها في الخليج وخاصة الامارات أو مقاطعتهم #ايقاف_اعلان_bmw
— فآطـمـة آلبــلوشـي (@FatimaAlfaz3ah) June 1, 2016
“We have noted the recent concerns regarding our TV Commercial with the Al Ain Football Club,” the General Manager for Abu Dhabi Motors - BMW's authorized distributor in the emirate - Arno Husselmann, said in a statement to Dubai-based Gulf News.
“As proud and loyal members of the UAE community, it was never our intention to cause any offence. We are an Emirati-owned company and so always aim to celebrate and promote the UAE’s rich values and culture, which are rightfully recognized around the world for excellence across all aspects of daily life.
“Out of respect for the feedback received from the community, we have removed the commercial from all platforms and are currently making a modification to ensure there can be no further unintentional reference drawn from it. The new version will be shared online in due course.”
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