Bata Malaysia is in hot water yet again over the brand’s choice of slogan for in-store promotional activities in Malaysia.
A Facebook user from Malaysia has posted a picture of the brand’s in-store promotional advertisement at the Bata KLCC store. It has sparked the attention and brought concerns from internet-users.
Bata had been in the news earlier this month for selling shoes which allegedly had the word Allah imprinted on its sole circulated online. Though the report turned out to be fake later, but the damage had been done, costing the brand RM500, 000. Paolo Grassi, Managing Director of the brand, said it would instead replace it with a new design this June.
“Our priority is the customer’s needs and satisfaction, and the change we made is to show that we (Bata) pay attention to surrounding issues,” he added.
He assured the users by saying, “The company has been established in Malaysia since the 1930s, we understand Malaysia is a multicultural country and therefore has always been very respectful of all races, cultures, religious beliefs and political beliefs, and is very careful in designing products, won't provoke any sensitive issues, we hope by doing this we can increase consumers' confidence in our brand.”