Technology
When zealous graffiti artists vandalised this poster of GAP featuring a Sikh model of Indian origin, little did they know that they would be opening a Pandora's box of social media rage. But what was truly remarkable was the multinational brand's reaction to the situation.
Updated : Mar 11, 2018, 05:56 AM IST
The desecrated ad poster from new York city with racist comments was brought to attention by Arsalan Iftikhar, senior editor at Islamic Monthly. It, of course, didn't take very long to go viral on the web, and was strongly admonished by netizens. And it wasn't until Iftikhar pointed it out GAP, did the ball get rolling on what turned out to be a winning corporate response on social media:
PHOTO: On this GAP subway ad featuring a Sikh man...Vandals have written "Make Bombs" & "Please stop driving taxis" pic.twitter.com/yvw2vhfexW
— Arsalan Iftikhar™ (@TheMuslimGuy) November 25, 2013
GAP not only responded to Iftikhar enquiring about the location of the ad posster...
@TheMuslimGuy Hi there. Thanks for informing us. Can you please follow & DM us? We'd like to know the location of this.
— Gap (@Gap) November 25, 2013
...but also immediately changed their Twitter header image and replaced it with the very image that riled the neighbourhood racialist artists.
The online community responded in solidarity with the company, earning them much respect globally.
Go @GAP! RT @surekhapillai: GAP wows with its response to racist comment on its ad http://t.co/mNgM1xTBke @ash_talks
— Kamal Krishna (@KSQR) November 27, 2013
This summer I am going to shop #Gap, a little contribution towards their anti-racist support. #MakeLove
— Viktor (@ivibz) November 27, 2013
Gap Ad Featuring an Indian Model Goes Viral After Racist Vandalism http://t.co/4jmLXPMiJd [Bravo & #GoGap] #MakeLove pic.twitter.com/LJTLK1KOBJ
— Doris Gourbere (@DorisGourbere) November 27, 2013
Hey @Gap I just holiday shopped w/you because of yr anti-racist support of #Sikh model Waris Ahluwalia! h/t @GWadhwa pic.twitter.com/8XMUPTJv5Z
— Khadijah M. Britton (@KMBTweets) November 26, 2013
The model in question, Waris Ahluwalia, remained unperturbed by the incident. Although, he was seen boasting this picture of his ad on his Facebook page a few days prior to this incident:
Racism towards even the resident Americans of foreign origin isn't uncommon in the United States. Just earlier this year, Nina Davuluri, the first Miss America of Indian origin, met with racist outrage from cross sections of the American society.