Confectionery giant Cadbury has been branded as racist after insinuating that supermodel Naomi Campbell was ‘chocolate’ in what is easily the best major advertising faux-pas this year bar none.
The purple giant’s new ad campaign for their Bliss Dairy Milk chocolate bars came complete with the line “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town.” While apparently a comment on her behaviour rather than her complexion, it doesn’t take a genius to find the underlying problems of comparing a black model to a chocolate bar. Campbell wasted no time giving the brand a proper dressing down, saying “It’s upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me but for all black women and black people. I do not find any humour in this. It is insulting and hurtful.” Some activists have suggested a nationwide boycott of the chocolates altogether (although this is probably Facebook’s doing.)
Cadbury have now issued two separate apologies, one of which now exists as a press release on their website. Given Campbell’s history of taking legal action against those who mess with her, this is probably the only smart move the company has made all week.
“Cadbury understands that our latest advertising campaign for Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss caused upset to Naomi Campbell and her family. Cadbury takes its responsibility to consumers very seriously indeed and we would never deliberately produce any marketing material we felt might cause offence to any section of society. It was not our intention that this campaign should offend Naomi, her family or anybody else and we are sincerely sorry that it has done so.
We can confirm that the advertisement is no longer in circulation and we will not be using it in future marketing for Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss. We have been in discussions with Naomi’s solicitors and can confirm that they have accepted our apology on her behalf as a conclusion to this issue.”
Good thing they didn’t do one for Top Deck.
via The Guardian.
Title Image- Still from “The Face”
