Posted by Rita Mu
A new Cadbury advertisement, which compared supermodel Naomi Campbell with a bar of chocolate, is not racist, UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has said.
The print advertisement of Cadbury’s new Dairy Milk Bliss chocolate ran on billboards and magazines with the slogan, “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town.”
Campbell took the advertisement as a link to her skin colour and according to the UK’s The Independent, she said she was "shocked" by the advertisement, which "was in poor taste on a number of levels, not least in the way they likened me to their chocolate bar".
Cadbury responded by saying the advertisement was merely referring to Campbell’s diva lifestyle and was not intentionally made to link her skin colour with the chocolate.
According to The Independent, the ASA said the advertisement was "likely to be understood to refer to Naomi Campbell’s reputation for ‘diva-style’ behaviour rather than her race. On this basis the council decided that the ad was unlikely to be seen as racist or to cause serious or widespread offence."
Cadbury has withdrawn its advertisement and apologised to Campbell following legal advice and fears of a global consumer boycott.
Image: bnet.com