A major reputation scandal has erupted in Kazakhstan's social media segment surrounding the mini-croissant brand 7Days. The wave of hate and calls for a boycott were triggered by offensive posts from Russian director Ilya Luchkin, whom the company hired to shoot a new advertising campaign in Kazakhstan, reports Kursiv LifeStyle.
The trigger was a video in which director Ilya Luchkin, working on the 7Days ad, said he knew Kazakhstan "from the movie Borat." Later, a screenshot of an Instagram story circulated in which he apologized, but in an ironic tone.
"Apparently, this was my first and last project in Kazakhstan. I apologize to the association of cloven-hoofed transport and all sensitive commentators—I was wrong," he wrote.
The comparison of critics and the country's residents to "cloven-hoofed transport" was the final straw for Kazakhstanis.
Following this, Kazakh users began calling for a boycott of 7Days products. Dozens of posts appeared on Threads urging people not to buy the brand's croissants. Some bloggers said they would remove the products from store shelves if they saw them for sale.
Local experts and marketers note that this case is a systemic failure of top management. The company is accused of continuing to ignore the local labor market by hiring external specialists instead of Kazakh professionals. Calls are also heard not just for the director's dismissal but also for personnel changes within the brand's marketing department.
Prominent Kazakh media personalities joined the discussion. Well-known actor Sanzhar Madi harshly commented on his Threads page. His post garnered 44,000 views and sparked debates in the comments about "colonial inferiority complexes." Users write that Kazakhstan has long developed its own strong production market, but large international brands continue to bring in dubious specialists from Russia out of inertia.
Amid the scandal, 7Days published an official statement. The company stressed that they do not support nationalism, discrimination, or disrespect toward representatives of any nation. The statement emphasizes that the director's posts are his personal opinion and do not reflect the brand's values. Consequently, cooperation with the director was immediately terminated.
Despite this, many users wrote in the comments under the statement that they consider the apology insufficient. Some continue to call for a boycott of the brand's products and demand greater accountability from the company.
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