Saudi Airlines recently released an advertisement on its in-flight screens that has sparked controversy among social media users, who have deemed it offensive to the Saudi citizen’s persona.
The advertisement, presented as a short video clip, features the Senegalese influencer, Khabie Lam, alongside a Saudi citizen portrayed as technologically inept and intrusive on social media.
Saudi Twitter users expressed their disapproval of the promotional clip, describing it as an insult to the Saudi citizen.
They criticized the airline for depicting the Saudi citizen in a manner far removed from reality, suggesting that Saudi Airlines was marketing one of its new services at the expense of the Saudi citizen’s persona. This comes after many complaints about the airline’s high prices and limited flights in the past.
Despite Saudi Airlines’ attempt to rectify its mistake that angered the Saudi public by deleting the promotional video featuring Khabie Lam and releasing another clip with an individual in Gulf attire and Asian features, the Saudi public vented their anger at the airline, describing its flights as “pure torment”. This was in response to a tweet containing the new promotional clip, which Saudi Airlines captioned: “A journey of pure comfort with the ‘Do Not Disturb’ feature during the flight in the in-flight entertainment system.”
It worth mentioning, Khabie Lam was listed among the most influential content creators of 2022 by Forbes magazine, earning annual profits exceeding 10 million US dollars through social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok.
