Bad pun gets ad pulled off air for being racist.

ibnlive reports that an ad for the Royal Automobile Association (RAA) has been withdrawn after nine months of airing as the Advertising Standards Board adjudged it to be racist.

In the ''Which deli?'' commercial, someone in Australia is seen calling their car help company, and get connected to a call centre operator based in New Delhi. The Delhi operatar misunderstands the callers report about an accident outside his local deli, unhelpfully suggests that they catch up 'for a curry and a pappadum'' in New Delhi instead.

The terrible pun commercial was quite popular with viewers according to research, but the Ad board upheld the complain stating that 'the advertisement, by emphasising the Indian race and location of the operator in connection with a portrayal of poor service, with a depiction of material, vilified Indian call centre operators.''

This television advertisement opens on a man, George, in a café relating his experience when reporting details of his car accident to his insurance company by phone. George tells the café owner that during the conversation with the insurance company he had answered, in response to the question regarding the location of the accident “It happened round the corner from my place near the deli”. The call centre operator had asked “Which deli?”, and George had replied “The new deli just round the corner from my place.’ George than said that at that point the call centre operator had excitedly
replied that he was in New Delhi too, and that they must catch up for (George adopts an Indian
accent) ‘a curry and a pappadum’. George then asks the café owner “Trev, whatever happened to
talking to a local? Capice?” Message on screen reads “Trust RAA Insurance to let you talk to a local”