KFC Australia is pulling a cricket-themed advertisement from the airwaves after it caused widespread outrage in the US where it was seen as racist.
"To avoid the possibility of any further offence being caused by the advertisement either here or online overseas, KFC will cease running the commercial immediately," the company said in a statement to ninemsn.
"KFC Australia apologises unreservedly for any offence caused which of course was wholly unintended."
In the ad, part of KFC's "Cricket Survival Guide" series, Mick the Australian is surrounded by dancing West Indies fans, and says: "Need a tip when you're stuck in an awkward situation?"
He then hands out a bucket of KFC to the crowd — an action which has been seen as supporting a long-standing US stereotype that African Americans eat fried chicken.
Read what ninemsn readers had to say about the ad yesterday.
As ninemsn first reported yesterday, KFC Australia was unaware a "culturally based stereotype" existed in the US surrounding fried chicken and African American people.
"It is a light-hearted reference to the West Indian cricket team," a statement said.
"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.
In the US bloggers and journalists have claimed the ad is deliberately racist, with the
Baltimore Sun even suggesting the ad might be part of a viral prank.
Popular viral media website Buzzfeed posted the video with the subtitle: "What's a white guy to do when he awkwardly finds himself in a crowd full of black folks? KFC has the answer."
Front page
RSS Feed