In the recent weeks, an in-store advertisement at Shell petrol stations nationwide has gained the attention of Malaysian netizens.
You may or may not have seen the ad which featured a lady (presumably a Shell employee) holding a bottle of mineral water. The pop-up image of the lady (or “gadis air mineral” aka mineral water girl/lady, as she is known to netizens) can be found pasted on the side of a Shell petrol pump.
While some patrons found the ad humorous and even posed next to it for pictures, others were not as amused.
“It gives me a heart attack every single time especially when I’m pumping petrol at a Shell station at night. Plus, no offense to Shell Malaysia but the pop-up format is totally unnecessary. I keep thinking that it’s a ghost,” a source who declined to be named said to us.
Another revealed, “After so many cases of people getting robbed or mugged in petrol stations, the last thing that we need is a pop-up ad that shocks patrons into thinking that someone is creeping up on them.”
Following multiple complaints about the ad, 25-year-old Nor Shafila Khairusalleh, the girl on the pop-up whose face would often shock unsuspecting customers, stepped up to apologise.
A Shell employee herself, she first explained that she got the “job” when she took part in a contest that involved all Shell Malaysia service staff. “I was chosen to be on the cover of the ‘Training Pack’ service personnel. Subsequently, in September, I was called by Shell to undergo filming for an ad campaign promoting BonusLink points redemption,” Harian Metro quoted her as saying.
“I didn’t expect such a response and I was surprised that it went viral on social media,” she said, adding that she was sorry for shocking patrons.
Last we checked, the pop-up ad has since been removed. In its place is a nearly bare ad save for an outline of Nor Shafila and text that reads, “Maaf Kalau Terkejut – Gadis air mineral -“
Translation: Sorry if I shocked you – Mineral water lady/girl.
But just in case you miss her, try spotting her when you’re on the road sometime because we hear that there have been sightings of her on random vehicles.
True story 😉
Sources: babab.net, Harian Metro, mynewshub.cc, hasrulhassan.com.
