Advertising

Yet another IPL TV Commercial showing blacks as bushmen.

This time its a Sprite commercial (a Coca Cola brand) showing two guys surrounded by bushmen with spears. One of them starts jumping around muttering some mumbo jumbo and supposedly causing offense to the tribal chieftain. His companion who is holding a bottle of Sprite offers it to him and becomes his best friend.

While I assume this is meant to be in jest, which world do the advertising agencies live in. What if the advertising agency in the United States shows the average Indian as fakirs lying on a bed of nails ? There would be a huge uproar and we would all demand an apology.

I am surprised that a multinational firm such as Coca Cola is not more culturally sensitive. Perhaps they should dub this advertisement in Swahili and show it in East Africa and see the reaction there. Pepsi would have a walk over.