Dunkin' Donuts Thailand under fire for 'racist' ad campaign

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

http://xfinity.comcast.net/articles/news-world-asia/20130830/Dunkin.Donuts.criticized.racist.ad/

[lostinblue 1,989]

Is it racist if the people in that country don't know it is racist. .?

Edited August 31, 2013 by lostinblue

[Novembro 1,763]

I was going to guess Korea but then...Thailand.

[Karee 4,190]

By Ricardo Lopez

August 30, 2013, 8:57 a.m.

A human rights group on Friday criticized a Dunkin' Donuts advertising campaign running in Thailand that features a model whose face is painted black to sell a chocolate doughnut.

Dunkin' Donuts Thailand recently started running ads for its "Charcoal Donut," which features a model wearing blackface makeup and bright pink lipstick and holding up a bitten doughnut. The translated Thai slogan reads: "Break every rule of deliciousness."

Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, said it's "rather incredible that an international company like Dunkin' Donuts" would run such an ad.

In a phone interview with The Times, he said the ad "fits into a long history of racist advertisements in Southeast Asia."

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The Associated Press said it's common in Thailand for marketing to feature racist undertones. A Thai skin whitening cream, for instance, is advertised in television commercials as boosting job prospects for those who use it. According to the AP, the commercials say white-skinned people have a better chance of landing a job than those with dark skin.

There's also a line of household mops and dust pans sold under the "Black Man" label. Product labeling features a smiling black man in a tuxedo and bow tie.

A message left with a Dunkin' Donuts spokesman was not immediately returned Friday, but the chief executive of Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand told the AP that the criticism is just "paranoid American thinking."

"It's absolutely ridiculous," said CEO Nadim Salhani. "We're not allowed to use black to promote our doughnuts? I don't get it. What's the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white, would that be racist?"

Robertson, who has lived in Thailand for 20 years, said that in recent years, racist advertising has declined in Thailand.

"The broad trend has been to move away from this kind of racist type advertising," he said. "Unfortunately, this advertisement seems to be a bit of a throwback."

Source:

http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-dunkin-donuts-thailand-racist-ad-criticism-20130830,0,1353917.story

[Karee 4,190]

Dunkin' Donuts apologises for 'bizarre and racist' Thai advert

Poster to promote new 'charcoal donut' featured Thailand chief executive's daughter in 'blackface' make-up

Human Rights Watch said a Thai Dunkin' Donuts advert would cause 'howls of outrage' if it ran in the US. Photograph: Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts has apologised after it ran an advertisement in Thailand featuring a woman in "blackface" make-up. The advert, which was used to promote the donut giant's "charcoal donut", was called "bizarre and racist" by a leading human rights group.

Dunkin' Donuts chief executive in Thailand defended the campaign, but a spokesman for Dunkin' Brands told the Guardian on Friday it would immediately pull a planned television spot featuring the imagery.

"Dunkin' Donuts recognizes the insensitivity of this spot and on behalf of our Thailand franchisee and our company, we apologize for any offense it caused," Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement provided to the Guardian. "We are working with our franchisee to immediately pull the television spot and to change the campaign."

The Thai arm of Dunkin' Donuts had planned a poster and television campaign around the image, which it shared on Facebook. The advert shows a woman apparently wearing dark make-up and bright pink lipstick, with a 1950s beehive hairstyle. She is holding a "charcoal donut", out of which a bite has been taken. The slogan next to the image reads: "Break every rule of deliciousness."

The advert caused consternation on Friday morning, after Human Rights Watch said it would cause "howls of outrage" if it ran in the US.

The Dunkin' Donuts advert in full. Photograph: Dunkin' Donuts/Facebook

"It's both bizarre and racist that Dunkin' Donuts thinks that it must color a woman's skin black and accentuate her lips with bright pink lipstick to sell a chocolate doughnut," said Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for HRW. "Dunkin' Donuts should immediately withdraw this ad, publicly apologize to those it's offended and ensure this never happens again."

The CEO for Dunkin' Donuts in Thailand, which is operated as a franchise, was initially bullish about the marketing. "It's absolutely ridiculous," said Nadim Salhani. "We're not allowed to use black to promote our doughnuts? I don't get it. What's the big fuss? What if the product was white and I painted someone white, would that be racist?"

Salhani said his daughter was the model used in the advert. He dismissed criticism as "paranoid American thinking", saying: "I'm sorry, but this is a marketing campaign and it's working very well for us."

The Associated Press reported that the advert had not "ruffled many in Thailand, where it's common for advertisements to inexplicably use racial stereotypes". The news agency said a herbal Thai toothpaste was available with the tagline "it's black, but it's good", while advertising for the Black Man brand of household mops showed a "smiling black man in a tuxedo and bow tie".

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Source:

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/30/dunkin-donuts-racist-thai-advert-blackface

[Jacque67 7,328]

Is it my imagination , or hasn't a post gone missing?

[Jacque67 7,328]

I think it is a cute photo. Obviously it would be controversial in the West with its connotations, but in the Far East the photo is judged on its aesthetic qualities . I see no reason to abandon this commercial campaign in Thailand.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Duplicate thread. Reported.

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/451553-dunkin-donuts-criticized-for-racist-ad-campaign/