Burger King Takes Flak for Controversial Chopsticks Ad
By Naomi Lounsbury
On April 8, Burger King New Zealand removed an Instagram advertisement for their Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tendercrisp Burger after being accused of racism, insensitivity and general ignorance, according to BBC.
The promotional video featured Western looking men and women attempting to eat hamburgers with oversized red chopsticks. The actors used the giant chopsticks, one in each hand, to enthusiastically eat the Vietnam inspired burger.
Watch the controversial ad and internet fallout below:
https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?width=500&height=375&auto=0&vid=o085921gk0t
Burger King has since removed the video, with a spokesperson for the global burger chain telling CNN, “the ad in question is insensitive and does not reflect our brand values regarding diversity and inclusion.”
Shortly after the video was published, it received a hailstorm of angry comments from unimpressed netizens on Twitter and Instagram.
Even Weibo users got in on the smack talk, taking a more humorous approach.
This comes several months after Dolce & Gabbana had their own racially insensitive blunder, where they hired a Chinese model to eat Italian food with chopsticks.
READ MORE: Dolce & Gabbana Cancels Shanghai Show Following 'Racist' Ads
In the midst of the internet storm, some netizens pointed out the silliness of the backlash. Their arguments seemed to fall on deaf ears, however.
At the moment, a Burger King boycott is slowly gaining steam under the hashtag #burgerkingracist. Have you ever eaten a burger with chopsticks? Let us know below in the comments section.
Read More: D&G Founders Apologize to China as Boycott Gains Steam
[Cover image via @中新经纬/ Weibo]
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