Are there bigots among us?

The blogosphere is predictably abuzz with chatter about the Super Bowl ads. I like to watch these debates rage more than I like to watch the ads, themselves. It's both entertaining and enlightening to see who is calling whom names, and for what reasons.

I have to confess, though, for most of halftime and the second half, I flipped channels during the commercials to watch reruns of Cheers (you know, back when TV programming was actually pretty good).

If you chose to instead watch the commercials, I guarantee that I laughed harder than you did... unless, arguably you are a competitor of Sales Genie. If you haven't seen them, here's one of them.

Was the ad racist?
Understand that, as a typically dense male, I'm not looking to be offended by everything.

(Wait... am I stereotyping my gender? Never mind...)

Anyway, when I watched the SaleGenie ads on USA Today, I thought their greatest offense was that they were stupid (although, as we examined last year, stupid can sometimes work). Paul tells us that they were beyond stupid, but also racist.

I'm not so sure, but I can certainly see why some people would think so. Our ability to generalize helps us remember things, which is why we are able to make and associate attributes to certain stereotypes.

The problem is that we don't always associate those generalizations with fond memories, which explains the sensitivity.

As a marketer, that's a line I'd rather not walk, but it's becoming clear to me that there's very little in this world that someone can't find something to be offended by.

Are we making something out of nothing?
Apparently Paul wasn't the only one who thought it was racist, though. AdRants, taking a very risky stand in this space, says we're being a bunch of hypersensitive crybabies.

I say it's "risky," because denying the charge of racism against someone else can bring similar charges on the person denying it, which can be difficult to combat... and no one will admit to want to be around a racist.

Take a breath, people!
We have to take all charges with a grain of salt. Many times, the same people who cry or deny racism are the same people who make fun of people for their religion... or their height... or their weight... or their dancing ability... or their background.

Is that any better than being a racist? Is that sufficient reason to suspect their judgment?

All this is to say that we ought to be careful about what we say or imply about others. Racism is bad -- no one is denying that, but so is inaccurately or irresponsibly accusing someone of being a racist.

If you are going to do so, and you are convinced you are right, it will help others understand a little better if you take the following steps to make your case:

1. Define the term using an objective source
2. Describe the suspected action
3. Show how they overlap
4. Rule out all other explanations

So, was the ad racist?
I have to make the same qualification Bill Green made on the AdRants blog. I'm not a talking Asian panda, so how am I to know? - Cam Beck

Comments

[bg]

I think more from an advertising creative POV, it’s just too easy to throw an accent on something and call it a day. If this was a really clever spot that poked fun at the issue, we wouldnt be having the discussion.

Granted, in this case, the owner of the business wrote the spots so any agency is off the hook, but there have been enough examples of agency thinking along the same lines: Taco Bell Mariachi spot Sunday to name another. The recent Ba-Da Bling spots for NY lottery.

[Ryan Karpeles]

It may be overly stereotypical, but I don't think it's flat out racist.

In case anyone's offended, the President of SalesGenie issued an apology:

http://tinyurl.com/ytv85y

Also, now that we're all talking about this, might it have been a good strategy to push the edges a little bit? Most people who strictly want leads will probably remember these guys pretty well (for better or for worse).

[Cam Beck]

Bill - I agree to an extent. I remember there were groups who thought the Taco Bell chihuahua (which, though I wasn't in advertising at the time, I kind of liked) was offensive, too (No word on the Taco Bueno talking hand). Both either spoke Spanish or had accents.

Neither offended me.

I suppose you could argue that the context was different, but once again, this speaks to the necessity of defining the term.

Ryan - I've given up trying to predict what the outcome of "pushing the edges" would be for its own sake. I can't remember a time I've ever advocated it. From the sound of it, the guy had no clue that it would be offensive, and I believe him.

He also might know something about the core audience that we don't know. A lot of folks searching ChaosScenario for Sales Genie are from overseas. Correlation? I have no idea.

If you're going to push the edges, which I don't think is an altogether bad strategy, at least have a legitimate purpose for doing so. "To get attention" is not a purpose I can get behind, morally.

[Gannon Beck]

To me the relevant question is,"How does perpetuating stereotypes contribute to racism?" At the very least, I think it can stop us from seeing people as individuals. I don't think that is racism, but I do think it's a step in the process.

[Cam Beck]

Gannon - In this instance, it's a little tough for me to judge, principally because it's a cartoon commercial... and one of them is a bear.

When Angelina Jolie plays Laura Croft with a bad British accent, is she perpetuating stereotypes about the Brits?

When Harrison Ford plays a submarine commander with a bad Russian accent, is he perpetuating stereotypes about Russians?

When Jude Law plays a Civil War soldier with a Southern accent, is he perpetuating stereotypes about Southerners... or Americans?

When Kevin Costner plays Robin Hood with no accent at all, is he just a bad actor?

Here's my point:

What are we talking about here, really?

What is the thing we're getting upset over?

And is it worth getting upset over?

[Gannon Beck]

I think you can use an accent without it being stereotype. The accents of all the above examples were all integral to the story. To be sure, whether the Sales Genie ad crossed the line is a matter of opinion; however, when I first saw the ad I thought that people would perceive it that way. It certainly isn't an accurate portrayal of Chinese culture, and I doubt anyone can say that it was a flattering one.

[Cam Beck]

How do we define "the line" objectively?

[Gannon Beck]

I think only those in the group offended get to decide. If people of Chinese decent say it's a stereotype that demeans them, who are the rest of us to say different?

[Paul McEnany]

Okay, do I think the CEO of sales genie is blantantly racist for writing these ads? No, not at all. But, I do think there is a level of sensitivity that should be expected from most people when you're talking to such a wide audience. Okay, scratch all that. I'm mostly offended because the ad was terrible. I'm offended that I wasted my time watching it, and I wish he would be more clever at least when doing his stereotyping. Fine. You win. ;)

But seriously, watching back the ad, it is hard to point to something that's intentionally bigoted, but it does just make me feel dirty watching it...

[Cam Beck]

Gannon - I'm offended that you said such a thing. You should be ashamed and apologize immediately. ;)

Paul - The ad was horrible. Not sure it raised awareness except through the groups we mentioned and the advertising industry. It may be the worst $8.8 million they've ever spent, but then, didn't we say something similar last year?

[bg]

Based on the CEO’s own fededback, the two spots cost $50K in total, (plus the media buy of around 5.5 million).

Arguably compared to others who spent more on production, he got his bang for the buck.

As for objectivity, I don’t think that’s a standard easily achieved, because what’s inoffensive to one group may not be to another. (Short of obviously depicting violence against one group or another.)

Agree too with Gannon in that accents in service of a part are different than simply making fun of someone because they speak differently.

He did do one thing right though… he set himself up nicely for next year because now people are going to wonder what he’ll do next.

PR baby, PR. ;-p