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Russian ice cream ad using Obama’s image accused of being racist
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by Yuliya Talmazan | March 22, 2009 at 12:10 pm
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A controversial Russian ice cream ad reads “Everybody is talking about it: dark inside white” and features a smiling cartoon version of U.S. President Barack Obama in front of the White House. The ice cream branded is a chocolate filled bar covered in white vanilla coating. The makers of the ice cream insist that they did not intend the ad to be racist, and say consumers should view it as a “joke.” The ad made the headlines after it appeard on English-language websites.
So, while Russian ice cream is famous for its rich taste and palatable texture, the question is whether it will stand the test of unscrupulous marketing.
Obama ice cream, anyone? Chocolate-vanilla ice cream is one of several Russian products being marketed using America's first black president, even as critics call the ads racist.
But the creator of one Obama-themed ad -- for ice cream bars which have a chocolate-flavoured centre embedded in a layer of vanilla -- insisted Friday that it was not racist and should be seen as a joke.
The ad for Duet ice cream bars features a smiling, cartoonish black man flashing a V-for-Victory sign in front of the US Capitol, along with the Russian slogan: "Everyone's talking about it: dark inside white!"
Some blasted the ad as insensitive after it surfaced on English-language websites this week.
Andrei Gubaidullin, who created the ad, told AFP that it was not racist and that Russia simply had a different attitude to race than Western countries.
"For Russia, this is not racist. It is fun and that's it," said Gubaidullin, creative director at Voskhod advertising agency, based in the Urals Mountains city of Yekaterinburg.
"We don't consider teasing ethnic groups racist. It is just seen as a joke," he said by telephone, adding that he personally liked Obama.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (4)
at 12:39 on March 22nd, 2009
Andrei Gubaidullin thinks he can fool most outsiders from other countries. Newsflash: the Russians are very much race-oriented, e.g. the Chechens, Dagestani, Adyghs, Cherkess, to name a few of these ethnic minorities that have been oppressed by the Russian Federation would differ with Gubaidullin.
at 12:53 on March 22nd, 2009
On the other hand, there is a lot of misrepresentation of the Russian people and culture in the Western media and film too, so their level of sensitivity would definitely be a lot lower. Most likely it was a one man's (or company's) mistake to get such an ad approved. What is scary about it is that the levels of xenophobia are very high in Russia, and ads like these only serve to fuel it further.
at 07:18 on March 25th, 2009
For god's sake aren't there more important things than to worry about a stupid ice cream bar made on the other side of the planet?
DO YOU HONESTLY think to ask ENTIRE COUNTRIES to be "sensitive" to your racial feelings.
RUSSIA is NOT AMERICA... It is not the melting pot, it is a long existing white country, just as korea is long standing asian country, kenya is long standing black.... I NOTICE NOBODY SCREWS with these countries for being "racially" aware
ONLY the WHITE ones. I wonder why this is? I wonder why when blacks in african country murder and rape countless whites, NOBODY SAYS A WORD.
BUT A STUPID BLACK/WHITE OBAMA BAR MAKES INTERNATIONAL NEWS.
YOU GOT YOUR PRIORITIES TOTALLY SCREWED. QUIT EXPECTING OTHER COUNTRIES TO BE AMERICA, GROW UP AND QUIT BEING SO SENSTIVE.. JEZUZ K. YOU WORRIED ABOUT STUFF? do something. go somewhere. help somebody. in the meantime get a life.
at 13:26 on April 9th, 2009
Rebecca when Zimbabwe murdered white farmers the world cried, when bombs went off int US embassies the world cried, when Africans were at war for over 7 years, no one cared till the first american cared.
The Russians are the Russians, and are the most racially consistent people, they dislike all races equally. They quashed all religions and had communism.
When Africans starve and day each day due to natural disasters, no one really cares, but when Italy has an earthquake that has killed 250+ people, there is an over pouring outcry of good will.
The Ad was trying to be funny by taking advantage of the simplemindedness of Americans as a whole when it comes to race.