Food delivery platform Foodpanda has issued an apology in response to accusations that its latest ad campaign was appropriating Indian culture.
The company said yesterday that there has been a “misunderstanding” regarding its Bollywood-themed ad promoting group orders that featured a nearly all-Malay cast dressed in traditional Indian costumes while denying that it was related to Deepavali celebrations happening next month.
Turns out the video was a part of a series that would also feature other musical genres such as K-pop and barbershop quartet, a spokesperson said.
“We understand that there might have been a misunderstanding with the video in question being singled out. However, this specific video is part of a bigger campaign and not a Deepavali ad,” head of marketing Vanita Menon Kris told Marketing Interactive.
“Foodpanda would like to humbly apologize, as it was never our intention to cause any discomfort to our consumers as we stay committed to delivering joy to your doorstep,” she added.
According to the press release, the “Delivery to Seri’s Heart” campaign plot follows the story of a customer named Seri and her three-generational family as they go about exploring the various “hacks” on the Foodpanda app.
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