Skip to main content

What did you think when Sony made White to dominate Black

First off, let me just say, I know this Sony ad is old and people do not understand why so many people are talking about it now. But the reality is when Pepsi went and did that Kendal Jenner ad, it opened the flood gates for people to start reminding the world of other companies major ad flops that impact race relations.

For those who may have forgotten the ad, here it is a European looking person grabbing the face of a Black person as if to dominate. The tag line clearly sends the message "Look out Black, White is Coming".

So that leads me to say "WHAT THE *@$!"

How can an ad like this be forgotten? If you know anything about advertisements, then you know that this ad had to get the green light from multiple people. That means that there are multiple people at Sony who need race relation training.

Now because this ad is a bit old, I am not going to sit around and break down all that is clearly wrong with it. I just wanted to take a moment and answer the question that is floating around the internet "Why are people talking about this ad because its old".

The answer again is simple, this ad should have taught companies "Don't go there" "Make sure your staff that deals with advertising has some level of COMMON SENSE when it comes to how any group of people may view your ads" Sure you can't make everyone happy but this is a clear violation of race relations. If this was a teacher grabbing her student in a classroom saying "Look out Black White is Coming" that teacher/coach, whatever would be fire.

This also is a reminder to companies when you thinking about hiring people for your ad services that college degrees and past work does not mean that a person or group of people are in touch with what society deems appropriate. Next time you want to do an ad that INSPIRES race relations or ease the tension of a situation, grab a test group of those people that you are trying to inspire. Grab a few test groups, maybe one from each coast. Have them preview the concept or ad (if you were silly enough to do it before the test group was brought in) and take all the feedback very seriously.

Urban Branding has been running test groups for years and one thing that companies have quickly learned is a test group in California is far different that a group form Ohio. These test groups have saved many companies from unneeded damage control. But if you can't afford or do not want to invest in a test group, them you simply need to exercise common sense.

It's not that hard to see why ads like these are bad for society.

Happy Branding!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Carla Fendi Dies in Rome

One of the true queens of fashion has passed. VOGUE: O ne of the five formidable Fendi sisters (Paola, Anna, Franca, Carla and Alda), who inherited  their family's fashion house  - has died in Rome, aged 79. FULL STORY  Many people forget that the Fendi brand permeated Hip-Hop heavily in its formative years. Rap  icons EPMD had a dancer named FENDI.... A lot of people forget that in the early rap days, a lot of rappers were teamed with dancers, and DJ's as crews to help get the party going. Fendi was a Hip-Hop dance pioneer. He was not a bboy. I am not a dance historian but his moves seemed to be a blend of strutting, locking and a little vogue dancing. Here is a slightly grainy clip FENDI DANCING

Souls of Mischief CLASSIC Used in Gatorade Ad w/ Paul George

Great new Gatorade Ad using 93 Til Infinity classic by Souls of Mischief. I was truly happy to see this ad. Anyone who was a part of Hip-Hop in the 90's totally loved 93 Til by the groundbreaking Souls of  Mischief crew from Oakland.  WATCH  Original 93 Til Video  Now, super real crate diggers (people who study the root samples of Hip-Hop classics) might wonder, where did Souls get the beat from. Well, here it is Billy Cobhams Heather .  The reason ads like this work is because it get adults who grew up on Hip-Hop as well as old school jazz heads who appreciate the stylings of real keyboard players.  I wonder who got the check? Souls or Cobham ot did they split it. I gotta call Tajai from Souls. I'mma try to get an interview. 

MMA Brand News: Sinister Brand Clothing gets shout out from real rappers

I've always loves Sinister Brand fight wear. You've seen some of the biggest UFC stars wear their shirts into the cage. These guys have made quality stuff for years. Recently I heard a track from the upcoming album by Rakaa Iriscience from the trio Dilated Peoples. Outside of his devastating rhymes, he's one of the first rappers to train in Gracie Jiu Jitsu. His new solo album Crown of Thorns drops July 20th 2010. Anyway in one of his songs he says "Gracie Jiu Jitsu, Sinister Brand Sponsored/ You ain't fit, you old aerobics like Jane Fonda!" I love it. So many rappers reference MMA and UFC related themes in their music. This one is by far one of the best. Expect to hear more stuff like that in the coming years. If you ain't up on Dilated Peoples you are probably living under a rock. Here are two videos I suggest you peep. You will see Ralek, Ryron and Renner Gracie in a cameo This Way feat. Kanye West