The Washington Post reports:

When sales of Coca-Cola began to plummet in parts of the Middle East and Asia this summer in response to boycotts of corporations with alleged ties to Israel, the soda company’s franchise in Bangladesh rolled out an expensive advertising campaign featuring a television star known for his roles in South Asian soap operas and reality TV.

The actor, Sharaf Ahmed Jibon, played a shopkeeper who assured customers that Coca-Cola was not an Israeli product and underscored the company’s ties to Muslim communities. “Even Palestine has a Coke factory,” he told a group of boys who then dropped their political objections and guzzled down bottles of the sugary beverage.

But there was a problem.

The so-called Palestinian factory is an Israeli-owned bottling company that operates on an Israeli settlement in East Jerusalem considered illegal under international law.

The advertisement’s misleading claim drew immediate backlash and generated even more anger toward Coca-Cola, which pulled the ad from all TV markets and social media accounts. In its first public remarks on the controversy, the company told The Washington Post that the campaign was a regrettable mistake.

“As a global brand, we partner with local franchises to serve local communities. We acknowledge that the recent video missed the mark, and we apologize,” said Scott Leith, vice president for global strategic communication at Coca-Cola. “The video has been removed from all platforms.”

The incident underscores the perilous moment for American companies seeking to untangle themselves from the widespread anger over Washington’s military and political support for Israel’s offensive in Gaza. [Continue reading…]