Is Advertising Racist? Or are we?

Arguably one of the most controversial industries, Advertising has drawn a lot of criticism for its use of inappropriate even racist stereotypes. Ads like NIVEA's 'Look Like You Give a Damn' campaign have caused outrage for their apparent racism. Featuring a clean-shaven African American man throwing away a mask of a 'caveman' unshaven version of himself, the ad has been interpreted to imply that his natural/ethnic hair is somehow uncivilized. 

Similarly, American Apparel featured an ad on their website of a model holding onto a Hispanic farmer which drew outrage from the Hispanic American community for stereotyping Hispanic American farmers. 

One justification for the use of racial stereotypes is illustrated in Erving Goffman's concept of "commercial realism" in which Advertising presents the advertising world in a way that is consistent with the real world. In a way, the claim suggests that advertisements are a mirror reflecting back the realities of society - both the good and the bad. By employing the use of stereotypes, the advertiser can communicate implicit meaning to the consumer simply and quickly. While this in no way justifies the commodification of racial stereotypes, could it then be suggested that advertisements are seen as racist because we as a society are racist? 

In the past few years, we have found a myriad of advertisements that seek to defy traditional concepts of race. And rather than being celebrated, these ads have received a shocking racial backlash. Cheerios released a 30-second ad featuring a mix-raced girl "Gracie".

Both heartwarming and forward-thinking, the ad elicited inappropriate and racist comments on YouTube, expressing "shock" that the 'black' father has stayed with the family, or disdain upon finding out the mother is 'white'. While there were also comments expressing grattitude to Cheerios for featuring a biracial family, the shocking response from many viewers suggest that even when an advertisement attempts to portray a stereotype that is not in-line with what is perceived as the "norm" for many individuals, there is a backlash. 

This was also the case more recently in the 2014 Coca-Cola Superbowl ad "America is Beautiful".In the ad, various Americans from a myriad of ethnic backgrounds sing the patriotic song "America the Beautiful" in their native tongues. 

While it was meant to celebrate the "multi-racial" melting pot of America (the country of immigrants), many Twitter and Facebook commenters expressed disdain calling the ad "unpatrioic", "disgraceful", even suggesting immigrants "speak English or go home". The ad challenges the conventional image of an American as a "monolingual" Caucasian. And in defying that stereotype and producing an image of the American society as multi-racial, the ad faced backlash. If advertisements are a mirror of society, both through employing inappropriate racial stereotypes and embracing cultural diversity in a society, what does that say about us as a society? And more importantly, what do our reactions and interpretations of these ads say about us?

Chick Fil-A: 'Eat Mor Chikin'

Exactly one year ago I stepped into Chick Fil-A for the first time and my life was changed. Okay, maybe that was a bit dramatic.. but you need to understand that as a marketing fanatic and lover of sandwiches, I was ecstatic to find both in one place. While I gobbled (yes, because that is how quickly I ate) this sandwich, I  came across one of the wittiest strategic marketing campaigns I have ever seen.

Let's dissect this image further, shall we?

America is renowned for its plethora of fast-food restaurants with revenue reaching 191 billion USD in 2013 (Statista, 2014) easily making it the largest market for fast-food in the world. Dominated by fast-food giants from the likes of McDonald's, Subway, and Yum! Brands (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, etc) the industry is heavily speculated by market researchers to be in the mature stage of its life cycle. In such a large market dominated by big players like McDonald's what chances does a small fast-food chain have?

One of the fascinating things about Chick Fil-A's marketing strategy has been its ability to analyse their competitors and strategically position themselves as a niche fast-food chain.

Using Peter Drucker's theory that there are three levels of a product, one can see how Chick Fil-A has assessed themselves in relation to their competitors. As an augmented product, Chick Fil-A's offerings can be seen as a general service that can entertain or satisfy similar needs. For example: diners, restaurants, and even movie theatres and amusement parks. The Actual product, on the other hand, would be related to the fast food industry: McDonald's, Wendy's, Yum! Brands, etc. What distinguishes Chick Fil-A's marketing strategy from other fast-food restaurants is how they define their core product: a CHICKEN fast-food restaurant. By defining their core product in this way, Chick Fil-A separates themselves from the McDonald's and the Subways of this world and severely shortens their list of direct competitors to the likes of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen. 

Once this simple product strategy was defined, Chick Fil-A went on to design a marketing campaign to communicate this message. Featuring a cow holding up a witty sign that says 'Eat Mor Chikin', the campaign differentiates Chick Fil-A from the traditional beef/cow-based fast food restaurant (e.g. McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, etc.). In addition to adding some sass and humour anyone in the family can appreciate, the ad communicates the product strategy perfectly. And what of the cow? The cow continues to be featured in equally comical billboards becoming an icon of the brand; the Ronald McDonald or Jared of Chick Fil-A.