Nineteenth-century wit Oscar Wilde once said that “experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.” For Watsons, their Raya video ‘experience’ proved to be a costly misstep, both in its big-budget production spending, and in the negative social-media impact it garnered.
Credit where credit is due: this afternoon, we received a formal apology from Watsons. Not the one you saw on their Facebook page last night that told you they were sorry you were feeling bad about their video.
No, a real one. An apology that actually took in what the public has said, processed it, and gave a thoughtful response. Thank you.
Watson’s have acknowledged that although they were working from the Malay folkloric inspiration Dayang Senandong, their intention to pass the message of inner beauty trumping outward appearances fell short of the mark.
“Regretfully, we acknowledge that the ‘Legenda Cun Raya’ video is not in-line with the values that we hold dearly in Malaysia.” Agreed.
“Watsons Malaysia takes responsibility for the video and its content and is truly sorry that some elements have offended the general public.” Your sorry could be a little better, but this is acceptable.
“Watsons Malaysia following the feedback from the general public, immediately removed the video and we appreciate your honest feedback especially leading into an important celebration like Hari Raya.” The public loves nothing more than giving feedback via social media.
“Moving forward we will continue to listen to the general public and our loyal customers. On behalf of Watsons Malaysia, we humbly seek your forgiveness and deeply regret any harm that we have caused.” Apology accepted Watsons.
Thank you for reaching out to us, and thank you for listening to how the public feels about this sort of media portrayal.
Here are some ideas in other ways you can spend money, instead of on offensive ads that live less than a day:
-Young girls’ self-esteem workshops, where kids that are fed images of unattainable perfection every day can learn how to love themselves, who they are and what they can offer the world
-Community-driven outreach projects to the marginalized during the Ramadan and Raya period. In a time of fasting, think of those who go hungry year-round and what you can do to alleviate that
-Donating your goods to orphanages around the country that need necessities like shampoo, soap and other products.
Just some ideas for you, lest you find yourselves with too much creativity on your hands, and not enough action.
