Jumbo withdraws controversial Qatar World Cup advert

Jumbo will immediately stop using its World Cup commercial that features dancing construction workers. The supermarket chain decided this after the ad stirred up a great deal of commotion on social media. Among the reasons the World Cup in Qatar is considered controversial is because of the poor working conditions for the migrant workers who had to build the stadiums.

“We now realize that this advertisement makes a link to the appalling working conditions in Qatar and that was never our intention,” Jumbo said in a statement. “We deeply regret this and offer our sincere apologies.”

The Jumbo spot did not only show construction workers. Many famous Dutch people also contributed to the project, including famed music group, The Toppers, and the Jumbo-Visma speed skating team. Actor Frank Lammers, rapper Donnie and actress Maike Meijer also figure in the spot.

Jumbo has already been heavily criticized on social media. “Jumbo should really be ashamed of this advertising for the World Cup in Qatar,” one Twitter user said. There were others who called for a boycott of the supermarket chain, referring to the campaign as “shameless,” “stupid,” and “naive.”

Marketing experts were also stunned and thought it was a very poor decision. “Negative attention is the last thing Jumbo needs,” said Paul Moers. The supermarket expert referred to Jumbo boss Frits van Eerd who was recently kept in jail during an investigation into money laundering, and temporarily stepped down from his role because he is still considered a suspect in the case.

Jumbo was also acutely aware that the World Cup in Qatar is a sensitive issue in the Netherlands. Last month, the supermarket gave an update on how it would handle promotions around the World Cup, saying their campaigns would focus exclusively on the Oranje fanbase.

At the time, Jumbo said it gave “careful consideration” with regard to the way in which the supermarket will handle Oranje sentiment regarding the tournament this year.

ANP reached out to The Toppers, who referred questions to Jumbo on Wednesday morning. Lammers, Donnie and Meijer could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for the Jumbo-Visma skating team did not say how the speed skaters, including Jutta Leerdam and Jorrit Bergsma, felt about the advertisement.