Uh Oh. Once again, a less than clued in marketer has rankled sensibilities by using tired stereotypes to promote product. A new site from ConAgra has been created for the brand’s Asian Inspired Health Choice. It’s lame. Truly lame. But we’re going to give the floor to our reader who had this to say about that:
“Where do I begin? The ad people who came up with the ‘lonely fortune writer’ idea should be fired. The brand manager that approved the concept and execution should be fired. Anyone who approved this work should re-evaluate their values.
Not only is the work insulting to Chinese/Asians and Chinese/Asian Americans (what with the awful accent, broken English, and idiot like antics), but it also completely degrades the brand and product.
This is the best ‘Asian Inspired’ concept ConAgra could come up with? The Chinese culture, rich as it is, dating back to 1500 BC, with 50 something ethnicities and cultures, could not inspire them to come up with anything better? Seriously – the fortune cookie? Something that is mostly completely ‘American’, especially in the form featured, was the best piece of ‘Asian’ culture they could leverage? I truly question the integrity of their marketing managers and their lack of creative thinking.
Instead of leveraging something interesting and special from an Asian culture, they’ve managed to create something completely irrelevant and distasteful. I’m deeply offended as an Asian American, and doubly so as an advertising exec. They may as well have featured the Spanish Football team.”
Our reader does make some good points. With so much to choose from the Chinese culture, relying on the whole fortune cookie thing is sad. Though choosing to highlight something other than the fortune cookie’s place in China’s rich culture might tax the brains of most Americans who can’t even remember what the whole “shot heard ’round the world” thing was all about.
Oops, did we just stereotype Americans as clueless idiots? Sorry.
Which agency would like to step forward and take honors for this masterpiece?
