KFC advert in Australia offends some Americans

[andyandy]

A storm in a chicken bucket?

The Australian arm of the fast-food chain KFC has been accused of racial insensitivity over a television commercial showing an outnumbered white cricket fan handing out pieces of fried chicken to appease a dancing, drumming and singing group of black West Indian supporters.

Aired as part of a series called "KFC's cricket survival guide", the 30-second clip depicts an uncomfortable looking man named Mick wearing a green and yellow Australian cricket shirt, surrounded on all sides in a cricket stand by high spirited Caribbean fans.

"Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?" Mick asks. He then passes round a bucket of KFC chicken, the drumming stops and he remarks: "Too easy."

Although intended only for an Antipodean audience, the clip has quickly found its way around the world on the internet, prompting stinging criticism in the US where fried chicken remains closely associated with age-old racist stereotypes about black people in the once segregated south.

A writer at one US newspaper, the Baltimore Sun, questioned whether the ad was a spoof, remarking: "If it is a genuine KFC advertisement, it could be seen as racially insensitive."

Another on-line commentator, Jack Shepherd of BuzzFeed, asks: "What's a white guy to do when he finds himself in a crowd full of black folks? KFC has the answer."

KFC Australia has come out fighting, saying that the commercial was a "light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team" that had been "misinterpreted by a segment of people in the US."

The company said: "The ad was reproduced online in the US without KFC's permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism.

"We unequivocally condemn discrimination of any type and have a proud history as one of the world's leading employers for diversity."

In the Australian media, the reaction has been mixed, with some commentators accusing Americans of "insularity". Brendon O'Connor, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, told 9 Network News that the association between fried chicken and ethnic minorities was a distinctly US issue: "They have a tendency to think that their history is more important than that of other countries."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/06/kfc-advertisement-accused-of-racism

Having seen the advert (watch here, I wouldn't for one moment assumed any racial sterotypes - it seemed to be simply a chap offering some fast food to people......

maybe it's offensive in the US, but why is that KFC Australia's concern?

discuss.....

 

[Piscivore]

It doesn't raise my eyebrows any, but I'm a white guy and also not given to being outraged on someone else's behalf.

One also wonders, is KFC meant to be prohibited from suggesting in any way that black people might enjoy their product, in any context?

 

[Careyp74]

ok, what is the awkward situation that he was stuck in? Being on the wrong side? Rooting for the wrong team? No one knew he was there!

This is what I honestly got from it (disclaimer: I am a white American, but does not get outraged over much, just notices things)

There is a crowd of all black people around him, carrying on the way blacks are stereotyped to carry on as. How do you calm them down? Give them the stereotypical food that distracts blacks from carrying on the way they stereotypically do. Fried chicken.

Why are they ALL black? Why is he the only white?

What is the light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team mentioned?

I think the ad is directly pointing out that when one finds himself in the middle of an awkward situation, that being surrounded by blacks, all you need to do is give them fried chicken. Perhaps Spalding will follow this ad type with their basketball promos.

 

[drkitten]

One also wonders, is KFC meant to be prohibited from suggesting in any way that black people might enjoy their product, in any context?

No. But to suggest that black people preferentially enjoy their product in a negatively stereotypical way, is something that KFC should avoid.

You've managed to pack together a very complicated question. First, I don't think that KFC is to be prohibited from doing anything (freedom of expression and all that), but that doesn't mean that KFC should not be criticized for doing something that someone else objects to. KFC has a corporate responsibility to avoid ticking off potential customers if it wants to continue selling.

Second, KFC-Nowhereistan isn't necessarily the same as KFC-United States. If the Nowheristani restaurant wants to make a commercial focusing on a specific aspect of Nowheristani culture, that's their business. But, again, it shouldn't be surprised if it results in a backlash, because word gets everywhere. Think of the Ford Fiera (which means "ugly old woman" in some versions of Spanish slang), or the ill-fated "Lolita" children's bed in the United Kingdom.

Third, people aren't necessarily rational in how they respond to images. That doesn't make their reactions less important, less valid, or (more importantly, from a business standpoint) less predictable. If you are trying to tell your customers, after the fact, that they are responding wrongly to your ads, then you've not got much of a future in advertising.

Basically, I think KFC didn't do their homework on this one. Any more than Woolies did their homework on the Lolita bed. (Which I believe was actually the original Spanish name from the company in Spain that designed it, where Lolita is still a common, innocent, and acceptable nickname for a young girl.) While failure to do homework can explain a mistake, it sure as hell can't excuse it.

 

[KingMerv00]

There is a crowd of all black people around him, carrying on the way blacks are stereotyped to carry on as. How do you calm them down? Give them the stereotypical food that distracts blacks from carrying on the way they stereotypically do. Fried chicken.

You do know that stereotypes vary from country to country, right?

 

[drkitten]

You do know that stereotypes vary from country to country, right?

And, of course, there's no way a commercial made in country A could possibly end up being viewed in country B, right?

Foreseeable consequences are foreseeable.

 

[KingMerv00]

And, of course, there's no way a commercial made in country A could possibly end up being viewed in country B, right?

Foreseeable consequences are foreseeable.

Sure, but I don't think it is possible to know what offends every culture on Earth. In that light, I suspect it is an honest mistake.

Surely the KFC marketing people weren't sitting around thinking, "Hey, let's air a commercial in Australia that calls upon American racial stereotypes. That will really help the company."

 

[Piscivore]

No. But to suggest that black people preferentially enjoy their product in a negatively stereotypical way, is something that KFC should avoid.

You've managed to pack together a very complicated question. First, I don't think that KFC is to be prohibited from doing anything (freedom of expression and all that), but that doesn't mean that KFC should not be criticized for doing something that someone else objects to. KFC has a corporate responsibility to avoid ticking off potential customers if it wants to continue selling.

Second, KFC-Nowhereistan isn't necessarily the same as KFC-United States. If the Nowheristani restaurant wants to make a commercial focusing on a specific aspect of Nowheristani culture, that's their business. But, again, it shouldn't be surprised if it results in a backlash, because word gets everywhere. Think of the Ford Fiera (which means "ugly old woman" in some versions of Spanish slang), or the ill-fated "Lolita" children's bed in the United Kingdom.

Third, people aren't necessarily rational in how they respond to images. That doesn't make their reactions less important, less valid, or (more importantly, from a business standpoint) less predictable. If you are trying to tell your customers, after the fact, that they are responding wrongly to your ads, then you've not got much of a future in advertising.

Basically, I think KFC didn't do their homework on this one. Any more than Woolies did their homework on the Lolita bed. (Which I believe was actually the original Spanish name from the company in Spain that designed it, where Lolita is still a common, innocent, and acceptable nickname for a young girl.) While failure to do homework can explain a mistake, it sure as hell can't excuse it.

Good points.

ETA: I'm still getting this image of KFC getting angry emails if they dared make a commercial with a black family who's kids get excited over the idea of going to KFC rather than getting a burger. That's doesn't seem right to me.

 

[Architect]

And, of course, there's no way a commercial made in country A could possibly end up being viewed in country B, right?

Foreseeable consequences are foreseeable.

And if come up with examples for, say, American media sources that would upset people in Australia or the UK? Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander?

 

[drkitten]

Sure, but I don't think it is possible to know what offends every culture on Earth.

Well, there are actually a number of consulting firms out there whose job it is to do exactly that. I worked for a while with a company out of California whose job it was to develop product names (specifically unlike "Fiera" or "Lolita") that would pass muster everywhere. I think IKEA does the same sort of thing in-house, and they're quite good at it.

I'd also be much more sympathetic to the plight of the poor ad exec who greenlighted that commercial if we weren't talking about American culture here. Since US culture is basically the world's dominant culture at this point (and for the foreseeable future), and it shares a language with Australia, I would think that asking oneself "how would this play in the US" would be a matter of routine.

Similarly, if I were to design an ad for a Thai or Malaysian TV station, I'd want to check out how Chinese eyes would view it. I might not worry much about how it played in Belize or Estonia,.... but giving a product a name that sounds like "makes-you-ugly" in Chinese would destroy you in the Thai market as well.,,,

 

[GreyICE]

Sure, but I don't think it is possible to know what offends every culture on Earth. In that light, I suspect it is an honest mistake.

Surely the KFC marketing people weren't sitting around thinking, "Hey, let's air a commercial in Australia that calls upon American racial stereotypes. That will really help the company."

Did you read DrKitten's post? Like, really? Read it?

Basically, I think KFC didn't do their homework on this one. Any more than Woolies did their homework on the Lolita bed. (Which I believe was actually the original Spanish name from the company in Spain that designed it, where Lolita is still a common, innocent, and acceptable nickname for a young girl.) While failure to do homework can explain a mistake, it sure as hell can't excuse it.

 

[ponderingturtle]

ok, what is the awkward situation that he was stuck in? Being on the wrong side? Rooting for the wrong team? No one knew he was there!

This is what I honestly got from it (disclaimer: I am a white American, but does not get outraged over much, just notices things)

There is a crowd of all black people around him, carrying on the way blacks are stereotyped to carry on as. How do you calm them down? Give them the stereotypical food that distracts blacks from carrying on the way they stereotypically do. Fried chicken.

Is there a stereotype about west indians? If it was african americans I could see the point, but do west indians have the same stereotypes regarding food?


You are viewing it through american cultural stereotypes. It might well have racial issues but that it is fried chicken, to make an issue of that you would have to show that it is an international stereotype and not just an american one.

 

[ponderingturtle]

And, of course, there's no way a commercial made in country A could possibly end up being viewed in country B, right?

Foreseeable consequences are foreseeable.

So you need people versed in stereotypes of all nations to view the add and see if it might offened someone somewhere outside its target audiance?

 

[ponderingturtle]

And if come up with examples for, say, American media sources that would upset people in Australia or the UK? Sauce for the goose, sauce for the gander?

This would be a good argument against Outback Steakhouse in its entirety.

 

[drkitten]

So you need people versed in stereotypes of all nations to view the add and see if it might offened someone somewhere outside its target audiance?

Only if you want to avoid world-wide criticism of your product that might end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars because you were too cheap to pay $500 to a consulting firm that specializes in preventing this sort of expensive mistake.

Or more succinctly,.... yes.

ETA: especially since we're talking about US culture here, which is very accessible, very influential, and very, very important economically.

 

[ponderingturtle]

Well, there are actually a number of consulting firms out there whose job it is to do exactly that. I worked for a while with a company out of California whose job it was to develop product names (specifically unlike "Fiera" or "Lolita") that would pass muster everywhere. I think IKEA does the same sort of thing in-house, and they're quite good at it.

Sure product names are intended to be international, but ad campaigns are often regional or national.

 

[Skwinty]

I have seen a photo taken in Zimbabwe of a white guy been atacked by a horde of starving black Zimbabweans as he leaves KFC with a bucket of chicken. At least in the ad the white guy was giving the chicken away.

Either way, its a sad indictment of the state of humankind.

 

[drkitten]

Sure product names are intended to be international, but ad campaigns are often regional or national.

... and any ad director who assumes that ad campaigns will not be seen outside of the target area is a fool.

Heck, even product names often aren't international. Compare a UK "Mars bar" with an American one --- or try to find a tube of Smarties in the States. The reason that product names can be international in the first place is because companies (are willing to) work very hard to make them so. They research local trademarks, local customs, local associations, and local languages -- or they hire people to do the research for them. It's a routine part of any product launch.

The idea that you can do this routinely for a product launch, but it's impossible to do the research for a new ad campaign is silly.

 

[Vic Vega]

In the Australian media, the reaction has been mixed, with some commentators accusing Americans of "insularity". Brendon O'Connor, an associate professor at the University of Sydney, told 9 Network News that the association between fried chicken and ethnic minorities was a distinctly US issue: "They have a tendency to think that their history is more important than that of other countries."

What an ignorant butthole this guy is.

 

[KingMerv00]

Did you read DrKitten's post? Like, really? Read it?

While failure to do homework can explain a mistake, it sure as hell can't excuse it.

What is there to excuse if it was a mistake? The stereotype of black people liking fried chicken isn't obvious on it's face so I'm willing to not be offended unless they tried to offend on purpose.