KUALA LUMPUR: A men’s grooming brand from Indonesia has faced widespread boycott calls from Malaysian consumers, with many taking to social media to air their grievances.
The cause: A football-themed meme from the grooming label Kahf that appeared to disparage other countries after Indonesia won a regional tournament.
The reaction was swift. Across social media platforms including Threads, Facebook, and TikTok, disgruntled Malaysian consumers are sharing videos of themselves discarding Kahf products into trash bins, urging fellow citizens to shun the brand, which is sold online and in big pharmacy chains.
The backlash has quickly metastasised into a broader campaign targeting ParagonCorp’s - Kahf’s parent company - wider consumer portfolio, such as its sister brand Wardah. The latter is a popular halal-certified cosmetics and skincare brand.
Some have even called for broader boycotts of Indonesian brands in Malaysia, though this has not gained as much traction.
The episode underscores the risks brands face as they expand across Southeast Asia, experts told CNA, where attempts to engage consumers through informal online banter can quickly backfire when they collide with national pride and cultural sensitivities.
WHAT LED TO THIS BOYCOTT?
The issue began after Indonesia beat Thailand to win the inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup on home soil at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Oct 5. Kahf shared a meme on its Threads account with the words “hati-hati beda level”. It translates to “be careful, different levels”.
The words separated the Indonesian flag above that of other countries, including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
Kahf removed the post and issued a public apology, saying that it was unacceptable and did not “reflect our values and the respect we stand for as a brand”.
“The bond between Malaysian and Indonesian communities has always been rooted in brotherhood and respect. We are committed to upholding the same respect across all countries and cultures. We take full responsibility for falling short of that commitment,” it said on its Threads account on Oct 7, two days after the initial post went out.
“Thank you for holding us accountable. We understand that rebuilding trust takes more than an apology. We are committed to earning it back through our actions.”
But the post did little to quell the anger, with Malaysian social media users continuing to call for a boycott of the brand.
“Being three years loyal customer, and all it took was one post for you to destroy your own reputation,” Threads user dzack_ko said in a comment on Kahf’s post on Oct 10, accompanied by a video of him throwing Kahf products into the trash.
Another Threads user, Dora.mr5, said that there was no need for the brand to put Malaysia down.
“Kahf can succeed through its own efforts, but don't let that make you feel so superior that you insult another country … Competition is normal, but manners and respect must always be maintained," read the comment.
Other users took a more retaliatory stance, mockingly quipping that Indonesia’s transboundary haze and poverty rates were the real things operating at "higher levels" - a potshot at the meme that the brand had posted and eventually deleted.
Oh Ei Sun, principal adviser at Pacific Research Center of Malaysia, told CNA that exchanges between Malaysia and Indonesian social media users can be particularly heated, with cross-border banter often spiralling into toxic discourse.
Oh said that the timing of the controversy coincided with heightened regional frustrations over the haze, as forest fires in Indonesia inundate neighbouring countries like Malaysia and Singapore with choking smog, forcing the shutdown of schools among other things.
"This is already a high-tension period," Oh said, adding that comments by certain Indonesian officials on the haze, for example, did not help the situation.
Indonesian Government Communications Agency chief Syahganda Nainggolan was reported to have said that the country’s forests provide the region’s oxygen, prompting Malaysian netizens to react with disbelief and sarcasm.
“We don’t just send smoke; when there is no smoke, we send oxygen,” he said in a widely circulated video published by Kompas, an Indonesian media outlet. “The oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia also comes from our forests.”
Oh recalled his own brush with “digital nationalism” after commenting online about the accidental upside-down printing of the Indonesian flag during the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Oh said his post attracted about 4,000 hostile comments from Indonesian social media users within an hour, prompting him to temporarily deactivate his account.
Taking a more forgiving stance, Malaysian Muay Thai fighter and Kahf brand ambassador Johan Ghazali acknowledged the company's misstep but urged consumers to move forward following its public apology.
“As long as we apologise, we can move on. It really isn’t that big of a deal, chill guys,” said Johan on his Threads page on Oct 7. He competes in the Flyweight division of the ONE Championship.
Many netizens criticised the fighter for dismissing the issue and drew comparisons to actor and singer Alif Satar - another Kahf ambassador in Malaysia - who was seen to have taken a firmer stance.
Alif had said that while he noted Kahf's apology, trust had to be restored through clear, concrete actions.
“I hope this matter can be resolved amicably, maturely, and with mutual respect. I believe that, under any circumstances, we can hold differing views without needing to put anyone down," he said in a Threads post on Oct 8.
WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN BRANDS?
For regional brands like Kahf, market expansion beyond Indonesia is essential for sustained growth. In Malaysia, the brand has built a presence through targeted lifestyle marketing, sports event sponsorships, lifestyle gatherings and high-profile brand collaborations.
But as brands try to stay culturally relevant across multiple markets, blending localised banter with communications can also alienate consumers across national borders.
Benjamin Loh, a media and communications lecturer at Monash University Malaysia, said brands are increasingly adopting informal, “netizen-like banter” to drive public engagement. But he warned against overindulging in this type of discourse.
“As brands make themselves more ‘human’, then similarly it invites more attacks against them. It's not the easiest line to straddle as insult-based banter will always end up insulting potential customers,” he said.
Loh added that social media has made social movements, including boycotts, much easier to organise and execute.
In Kahf’s case, the backlash has prompted calls on social media for Malaysians to boycott the brand and switch to home-grown grooming and personal care products instead.
Kahf is not the first brand to face consumer pushback in Southeast Asia, with similar controversies in recent years fuelled by geopolitical tensions.
Chinese tea chain Chagee faced boycott calls in Malaysia and Vietnam last year over depictions of the South China Sea on its mobile app, while Thai coffee chain Cafe Amazon faced a backlash in Cambodia amid diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Beyond regional spats, Malaysian consumers have also participated in broader economic boycotts, like the global Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) campaign targeting corporations perceived to have links to Israel.
In commenting on the Kahf issue, Threads user eafa_fiza said Malaysians should realise their purchasing power can have an impact on a firm’s bottom line.
“We decide who stays and who shuts down. This shows how strong we are when we unite. One silent boycott and a global brand can lose RM292 million (US$71.5 million) and close 88 stores. The power is truly in the hands of the consumers,” she wrote, referring to Starbucks in Malaysia, which has faced boycott calls over its perceived links to Israel amid the Israel-Hamas war.
According to a Bloomberg report, Starbucks operator Berjaya Food Bhd recorded an annual net loss of RM292 million in June 2025. The company cited the sustained fallout from Middle East conflict-related consumer sentiment, which disrupted market dynamics and shifted local spending patterns.
Sunway University economist Yeah Kim Leng told CNA that while social media boycotts trigger short-term sales dips and nationalist sentiment, they rarely inflict permanent brand damage.
"Eventually, product functionality prevails over emotion once rationality returns. Unless alternatives offer equal or better value, consumer sentiment usually gives way to product functionality once emotions cool down and rational purchasing habits return,” he said.
Yeah added that unlike short-lived social media disputes, campaigns like the BDS movement are far more enduring because they resonate across broader segments of society and tap into deeper ideological convictions.
Indonesia’s Trade Minister Budi Santoso was reported to have downplayed the boycott calls of Indonesian products and brands, saying that it had not affected bilateral trade relations between the two countries.
"I don't think it has (an impact). This is probably just a temporary response," Budi was quoted as saying by local news outlet Tempo on Oct 8.
WHAT BRANDS HAVE TO DO ONLINE
Ultimately, experts say that brands have to be more careful about what they post online.
Syed Mohammed Idid, the deputy chairman of the Public Relations Practitioners Society of Malaysia, told CNA that regional brands must treat cultural sensitivity and public sentiment as an absolute priority.
“If you want to go after a market, you have to be sensitive about the cultural nuances and the political sensitivities of the country,” he warned.
“They are an Indonesian brand who are going overseas. If they only want to focus on their own market, then so be it but they are going to other markets. You can be patriotic at the same time, but it can be done more diplomatically. Diplomacy is a way to market longevity,” said Syed, adding that the Kahf incident was a lesson to every company that wants to operate beyond its shores.
Similarly, Loh said that digital spaces in the region are heavily powered by national pride, particularly when a country or its citizens feel targeted or disparaged by foreign brands.
“Local brands that do become popular in the region need to be far more understanding of this dynamic and have to be extra careful in how they position themselves within the region.”
Source: CNA/rv(as)