An Australian ad for fast food chain Kentucky Fried Chicken — that depicted a crowd of rowdy Blacks being calmed by a bucket of the Colonel’s chicken — has been pulled from the airwaves amid allegations of racism.
The ad opens with a distressed White man surrounded by a crowd of Black people at a cricket match. “Need a tip when you’re stuck in an awkward situation?” he wonders. He deals with said “awkward situation” by placating the group a bucket of fried chicken.
After criticism of the ad reached KFC Australia, the company issued a statement explaining its concept and announcing its removal, stating: “We apologize for any misinterpretation of the ad as it was not meant to offend anyone. It is a light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team … The ad was reproduced online in the US without KFC’s permission, where we are told a culturally-based stereotype exists, leading to the incorrect assertion of racism.”