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Saturn says sorry to Jamaicans for controversial ad

Saturn Electronics Inc., the brainchild behind a controversial advertisement involving the burning of a Jamaican flag, has pulled its commercial in the wake of continued backlash from Jamaicans.

The German electronics company made the decision following a meeting with Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in an attempt to quell the heat received for their commercial. A statement issued by Saturn on Tuesday explained that their decision to pull it from their online channels was ‘out of respect for the feelings of the Jamaican people,’ and will not air the ad on German television as planned.

The letter, addressed to Jamaica’s Ambassador to Germany, Joy Wheeler said, in part, “We must nevertheless take note of the fact that the humorous approach we selected has led to some misunderstandings in Jamaica and among Jamaicans living in Germany. We sincerely regret this and would like to apologize if we have angered or offended anyone with our ad.”

Additionally, they insisted they, “at no time was it the company’s intention to offend the national sentiment of the Jamaican people,” and that it was meant ‘tongue-in-cheek.’

The Government of Jamaica later issued a response, saying they accepted Saturn’s apology and are pleased that the ad will not air on TV.

Saturn caught the ire Jamaicans worldwide after an ad which debuted last week in which two young, white men accidentally set the flag on fire after a coffee maker went faulty. One of the men then went outside with the flag, stomping all over it until the blaze went out; sparking a number of enraged civilians to hold Jamaican flags protesting its desecration.

The video, which has been viewed over 700,000 times on various YouTube channels, received several more dislikes than likes as Jamaicans demanded an apology from Saturn, saying it was disrespectful to burn the flag. Other Jamaicans, however, lauded the commercial’s concept, saying it was another win for Brand Jamaica on the heels of the popular Volkswagen ad, which officially premiered during this year’s Superbowl.

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