Minority Ad Report: 12 Ridiculously Racist 21st Century Adverts.

Studies show that consumers want to see more authentic diversity in advertising. The industry apparently has different definitions of "authentic".

One of the studies was by international market research group Kantar. This is just a tiny sample from this Millennium; Substack has a hard article length limit.

1. Tropitone Sunless Bronzer (South Africa)

Translation: “NON-WHITES”. That’s some smart ambient Apartheid bench ad humor—have a seat Mr. Mandela! From the ad agency (Morris Jones, Johannesburg) press note:

"In order to stand out in a new era, we tactically spray-painted benches in public areas with the words "Nie Blankes" (Non-Whites)—a symbol typical to that of the old South Africa (a wonderful symbol). … With the product logo spray-painted onto the concrete at the bottom of the bench, it is very evident that thanks to the efficacy of the product, you will no longer have white skin”.

Your white skin—GONE. Hey, if you’re lucky and “bronze” enough, maybe you’ll get taken to police room 619 and beaten to death. From 2011.

2. Haywards Black Stout (India)

Inside this creative process—C.W.: “Black stout. What else is Black? Tires…Crows…Bats…Cats…Martin Luther King!” A.D.: “Cool, I’ll turn the beer foam into nappy hair!”

COPY: "I have a dream that one day little black bottles and little black glasses of beer will be able to sit at the table with little pale bottles and pale glasses of beer as sisters and brothers”.

That’s Fucking Beautiful. 2007. Ad agency: Ogilvy, India.

3. Toshiba (Croatia)

Yep, those “Slants” certainly do good tech shit. 2014. Ad agency: Señor, Zagreb.

4. China Times Restaurant (UAE)

COPY: BRINGS OUT THE CHINESE IN ANYONE. Nothing to add. Ad agency: DDB Dubai.

5. Twin Lotus Black Herbal Toothpaste (Thailand)

Maybe the most racist ever “modern” ad. Sad Black Man is constantly climbing pole to retrieve lost balloons for Asian girls. But their Moms pull them away because Black Man is probably going to rape or eat girls. Sad Black Man has collection of balloons and sleeps on a large toothbrush (below).

End Copy: APPEARANCE IS DECEIVING. Year (2003 is incorrect) and ad agency unknown.

6. JW Marriott (USA)

(scanned from some magazine, 2006) ALTERNATE HEADLINE: R&R WITHOUT THE R&B. Here, “where the mantle of luxury is worn comfortably”… “hip does quite well without the hop”. And, apparently, Marriott would prefer it if you “Negros” would stay at Motel 6. Your "boom boxes" scare all the blondies and open-shirted rich white men.

7. Planet Pizza (Bolivia)

COPY: “One Pizza. Two Different Flavors”. Half Lakers fan, half raw meat eating jungle savage. Nailed it. 2011. Ad agency: NexusBBDO, La Paz.

8. Lotto Candy (India)

“Choco Caramel with Mango Inside”. Mr. Mango tangoed with the hot chocolate maid, and now she's preggers with the fruit of his loins. 2011. Ad agency: Y&R Mumbai.

9. Duet Ice Cream (Russia) & Hypo Bleach (Nigeria)

L—(2009) “Flavor of the week” Obama used to sell a “chocolate in vanilla” bar. (see, because he’s part honky) Note the Capitol flag has no stars. Ad agency: Voskhod. R—(2013) COPY: “Damn good whites”. Here “Hussein” is finally outed as the f’ing A-RAB that he is. Ad agency: Noah’s Ark, Lagos.

10. Limppano Cleaning Gloves (Brazil)

COPY: “Black Panthers, 1968. Hands. They have been too important to touch dirty toilettes”.

History lesson for you Yers and Zers. This horrible borrowed interest ad is riffing off this historic protest photo from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Tommie Smith (depicted here) and John Carlos were NOT members of the Black Panther Party, they were just showing support for the Black Power movement. 2011. Ad agency: Ad agency: Giovanni + DraftFCB, Rio.

11. Intel (USA)

(scanned from a business magazine, 2007) A rare peek inside a cubicle slave farm run by a smug khaki-panted white massa. But it’s the reverse racism here that appalls me, implying that I am a slow-ass white man without Intel’s Core™2 Duo Processor. Ad agency: McCann.

12. Qiaobi Detergent (China)

Dirty Black painter man, work done, wants him some Chinese ‘tang. Woman teases him then stuffs a Qiaobi pod into his wanting mouth then stuffs him into washer. Cut to pale as a sheet sparkling clean Chinese man emerging from washer.

Xu Chunyan, an agent for Qiaobi, said this in 2016:

“We did this for some sensational effect. If we just show laundry like all the other advertisements, ours will not stand out.”

Way to “push the envelope”, Qiaobi. TAGLINE: Qiaobi Washes The Black Away (very rough translation).