Austrailia + KFC = Racism? Why the Ad Failed

Are Australians racist? I have no idea. There are camps that say yes. But that’s not why the only reason the ad failed.

The ad failed because it was seen in a market other than which it was designated for. Australians might have seen it, realized that this guy (who happened to be white) was a fan of cricket team X (because of the shirt/jersey he had on) and but was stuck in the cricket team Y side of the stadium (which happened to be West Indies and therefore all Black…. logical conclusion? You tell me…)

If the ad had been race neutral (all white  or all black) this issue wouldn’t have come up. It would have been “Oh, ha ha, that was a cute ad” or whatever.

If the ad had been designated for an American market, it might have featured, let’s say a Dallas Cowboys fan all decked out in his blue and silver seated in a Washington Redskins side (yes, I had to ask someone for sports team rivals, don’t judge me), you would have chuckled. Or you would have been like “oh that was a stupid ad”… but you wouldn’t have said “oh that’s racist” (aside from the fact that “Redskins” is a stab to Native Americans, but that’s not the topic here either)

The fact of the matter is, the treatment of African descendants is ALWAYS going to be a topic of sensitivity around the world. That sensitivity is concentrated in the Western Hemisphere, the US mainly, let’s be sure. But it’s always going to be there.

For Austrailians to say to American “Hey, lighten up! We’re not racist like you are” is laughable to me. We see the image and it is like a slap in the face and dredges up those old but persistent stereotypes that we hate. Maybe, in the future, design your ad for your market, but be sensitive of the fact that due to the pervasiveness of the internet, other people will see it too (YouTube, anyone?). And these people may get angry… or may get sad… or may decide to sue… or may boycott your product or services or decide to boycott your parent company which has a ton more restaurants in the United States than in Austrailia, I’m wiling to wager….

Just a thought.

What do you think about this ad? Racist? Not racist? Or why the hell are we even talking about this? Comments welcome and adored (I’ll take care of them just like a new born puppy…)