Deodorant Ad In LRT Triggers Malaysians, Company Apologises
The ad was meant to emphasize the importance of deodorant in crowded places, while featuring Malaysia’s multicultural diversity.
Local personal care brand HYGR recently came under fire after members of the public found its advertisement decals on the Ampang-Sri Petaling LRT line to be racially insensitive.
The ad in question supposedly depicts an Indian man, and a Chinese man in cartoon form with sweaty armpits and bad odour denoted by squiggly lines, while two other figures in the background exclaim “busuknya…”.
Many thought that illustrating race in the ad was not necessary, especially when it is associating them with bad personal hygiene.
However, a few social media users seem to think that there’s nothing wrong with the ad, expressing appreciation to the brand for producing a visually cute advertisement.
HYGR issues public apology saying the ad was meant to reflect Malaysia’s diversity
HYGR has since apologised through a statement posted on their official social media accounts, saying the ad was designed to showcase how its products could be useful in everyday Malaysian life.
They continued to explain that the visual featured characters of various race, age, and gender to reflect Malaysia’s multicultural diversity.
“In this particular scene, the intention was simply to emphasize the importance of deodorant in hot, crowded places – something we can all relate to,” it said.
“We acknowledge that we could have been more thoughtful in our execution. It was our oversight and we understand why it caused discomfort and concern,” they added.
HYGR produces a line of personal care products including deodorant, sunscreen, and lip balm.
Back in 2024, the brand had previously advertised their product on an LRT line in the form of a scent diffuser and with the same message of beating bad odours in public transport.
READ MORE: Beating The BO – Immersive Ad In LRT That Makes Scents To Malaysians
Rapid KL to tighten checks on visual ads in LRT
Rapid KL shared a statement on its Facebook account following the incident, informing the public that it will conduct stricter checks on visual ads within their coaches in the future.
“Immediate action will be taken to tighten the checking process to ensure visuals by advertisers do not give rise to sensitive issues,” it said.
The train operator assured that the ad was only meant to display the importance of the personal care product and had already went through due process with checks by internal and external parties, including aspects such as racial, religious, and social sensitivities before it was displayed.
However, the ad display on the Ampang-Sri Petaling line still received complaints from commuters.
“As a responsible public transport operator, Prasarana values the feedback and views of the community, even more so when the issue is something that can be misinterpreted as targeting a specific individual or group,” they added.
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