Hard Rock Cafe apologises for insensitive orangutan ad - Malaysia

Posted: April 22, 2015
The US restaurant chain pulls all advertisements bearing the image of an orang-utan playing an electric guitar.

Hard Rock Cafe Orang Utan Ad

PETALING JAYA: The Hard Rock Cafe has apologised for being insensitive to the people of Sabah by using the image of an orang-utan in its promotional campaign, and have pulled all related advertisements from the market.

The move was made after conservationists including the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) expressed their outrage at the image of an orang-utan strumming an electric guitar while performing onstage.

The SWD in particular described the ad as “distasteful exploitation”, saying it hit a raw nerve among Sabahans as the state was home to the orang-utan which was a treasured mascot and an endangered species.

The Hard Rock Cafe Kinabalu issued a statement sincerely apologising “to those who have been offended by recent advertisements” and included an assurance that the banners had indeed been removed. It also said all future advertisements would be “culturally sensitive”, the Associated Press reported.

Officials said the image of the performing orang-utan was created using Photoshop.

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Source: Free Malaysia Today

http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2015/04/22/hard-rock-cafe-apologises-for-insensitive-orangutan-ad/