JAKARTA 鈥 Ride-hailing start-up Grab has withdrawn an advertisement in Indonesia after the video鈥檚 portrayal of a woman covered in blood sparked an online furore and drew comparisons with a zombie movie.
Singapore-based Grab is considered the leading ride-hailing platform in Southeast Asia and plans to expand its presence in densely populated Indonesia.
The ad, released online as part of a campaign to highlight Grab鈥檚 safety standards, shows the young woman becoming progressively blood-spattered as she walks down a street, with a voice-over saying she is about to make a 鈥渂ig decision.鈥
By the time she reaches a group of motorbike taxi drivers 鈥 a common form of transport in Indonesia鈥檚 traffic-choked cities 鈥 she is dripping with gore.
But when the woman refuses to use the drivers not working for Grab, the app appears on her phone and the blood disappears.
The 45-second ad ends with her walking towards a motorbike taxi driven by a man working for Grab.
Netizens were shocked at the graphic ad, however, and the video was pulled late Tuesday. It was replaced on Grab Indonesia鈥檚 YouTube channel with a 15-second, blood-free clip.
The original sparked a storm on Twitter, with many saying it looked more like a trailer for a zombie movie than part of a safety campaign.
鈥淲hy are you making a scary ad? Is it for zombies or for a service,鈥 said @Imanakbar08.
User @AroonP added: 鈥淪o Grab campaigns for #ChooseSafety with an ad full of blood.鈥
Mediko Azwar, marketing director for Grab Indonesia, said the firm had hoped the video would be 鈥渢hought-provoking鈥 but added: 鈥淲e acknowledge that the graphics may have been grim and disturbing.鈥
鈥淥ur intention was not to shock, but to reinforce the consequences of accepting lower safety standards,鈥 he added in a statement.
The controversy over the video came as the firm announced it had raised $750 million from investors to expand in burgeoning Southeast Asian markets, where it aims to build its lead over US-based rival Uber.
In addition to Indonesia 鈥 one of Grab鈥檚 key markets 鈥 the firm also operates in Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Its core product platform includes private cars, motorbikes and taxi-hailing services. 鈥 AFP
