The Xpanda Advert

[Citizen X]

Hi guys,
I just want to throw this out there: Is this advert racist or is it simply in bad taste? Should we wait for the other adverts of this campaign to be released before we make up our minds?
The first link is the advert and the second the explanation from the advertising agency.

http://www.enca.com/south-africa/racist-ad-has-sa-all-twitter

http://www.enca.com/south-africa/xpanda-wont-pull-ads


Is this explanation plausible?

[pmbguy]

Political correctness gone mad!

[vieome]

Why is the advert racist? What race is the Madame? Are people not being racist by asserting that madame means a white women? What is the racist issue here? Portraying a black man as a thief?

[vieome]

http://twitter.yfrog.com/z/gz390rbj Are their other adverts racist then?

[adrianh]

Anyway, if the ad was done in kjape twjown it would have been gatiep with no teeth sitting in de tjoekkie...

This country is a politically correct joke.

Ok then lets take another ad, there is a Castle light ad where a band of white guys plays a really nice tune, then a can of Castle light is opended and a bunch of black GangBangers rapps the same tune realy badly (even my 14 year old daughter prefers the first rendition) - isn't this racist (The black GangBangers are presented as if their rendition of the tune is better) - You see, this political correctness nonesense cuts both ways.

What about the new Isuzu ad where the tall black guy hands the keys to the short white guy....of course they are taking the p!$$ out of VW (Amarok) where Sarel Van Der Merwe being a tall white guy hands the keys to the short black guy.

[pmbguy]

Portraying reality freely in expression and refection of society in media would get you called a Heretic 300 years ago. A Liberal 100 years ago and a Racist in South Africa today.

Why do we take the race thing so seriously.
Is it not the point make race a non issue?

It always struck me as funny that almost all security ads show the robber as being white.
I say: Show the bad man in all colours, because that is the reality.

[Citizen X]

Why is the advert racist? What race is the Madame? Are people not being racist by asserting that madame means a white women? What is the racist issue here? Portraying a black man as a thief?

Perhaps, okay, so the use of the word ‘madam,’ doesn’t necessarily justify the conclusion that one is referring to a White lady i.e. what if the ‘madam,’ was a Black lady?
I waiting to see the rest of this advertising campaign

[Citizen X]

Why do we take the race thing so seriously.
Is it not the point make race a non issue?

So are we as South Africans perhaps too sensitive when it comes to such issues?

[pmbguy]

Vanash

I think we are too sensitive, in my opinion, our sensitivity can be harmful from time to time

Look... We should never forget the past. I am a full supporter of making history a compulsory permanent school subject forever..... Humanity can only benefit

Personally I do not perceive this ad as racist
I do understand that some people may be offended though

[IanF]

Anything that casts a black person in a bad light is racist.
Lets get over ourselves there are bad people in every race.

[vieome]

So are we as South Africans perhaps too sensitive when it comes to such issues?

It could be called sensitive, but when ever the issue is brought up, it seems to be blacks pointing to perceived racist actions of whites. Yet calling every white word or action racist is really the black on white racism showing its ugly head. While racism is a serious issue, we now live in a SA where it is being used to silence a minority. In future even if a white man farts it will be marked as racist. White man is said to have unfair advantage because of past laws, yet laws which give blacks unfair advantage in New SA are not racist.
If I blame my faults on my parents, they can blame the fault I am blaming on them on their parents and etc all the way back to Adam and Eve.

But shouting racism without the full story is a terrible affliction that exist today. Lets imagine for a second that the actors campaigning for the part in the advert where black white and colored(ignoring other adverts they say they have done). And the advertising agency says hey we cant use a black man for the part because they will shout racism. So the poor actor loses out on a job opportunity.

Facts
Is the advertising agency white owned or black owned? If it is black owned is the advert still racist?
Is the madame white or black? If she is black is it still racist? Is the voice of the actor a black man or a white man speaking with a black voice? If it is a black owned advertising agency and they use a white man as central actor is it not racist against whites?


I am neither black or white.

[Dave A]

I'd say Xpanda are trying to pull a Nandos - except they don't have a track record for ads with humour so people are probably taking it more seriously than if Nandos had pulled a similar stunt.

They're getting the mileage they wanted, but will it convert to sales?
Time will tell, but...

Dunno. They stuck their head in this noose intentionally - let the chips fall where they may.

[pmbguy]

I'd say Xpanda are trying to pull a Nandos - except they don't have a track record for ads with humour so people are probably taking it more seriously than if Nandos had pulled a similar stunt.

They're getting the mileage they wanted, but will it convert to sales?
Time will tell, but...

Dunno. They stuck their head in this noose intentionally - let the chips fall where they may.

Yup

If they are pulling a Nandos, they are either very stupid or very very clever. I hope for their sake it does not backfire. No doubt, they are getting attention.....risky.... but Big rewards if it plays successfully.

I can only imagine the friction at the xpanda head office

eesh

[Dave A]

So are we as South Africans perhaps too sensitive when it comes to such issues?

In a way that's a trick question.

There is still enough racial sensitivity around to know we must be sensitive to the issue. Claiming it should be better (or that we've done very well) doesn't change where we are right now.

My philosophy is don't poke your finger in a wound you know hasn't healed yet. Let's rather spend our efforts on helping the healing.

[Citizen X]

I'd say Xpanda are trying to pull a Nandos - except they don't have a track record for ads with humour so people are probably taking it more seriously than if Nandos had pulled a similar stunt.

They're getting the mileage they wanted, but will it convert to sales?
Time will tell, but...

Dunno. They stuck their head in this noose intentionally - let the chips fall where they may.

They’ve got a budget for advertising, that’s for sure. So creating awareness is as important as it always was. Get free publicity; get that name into the subconscious. Even now, we giving them publicity.
Nandos does have an advertising reputation to uphold, in my opinion, they’ll be better off if they could just stick to letting people know what chicken special is on at any given time and nothing further.