McDonalds, Racism and Coffee

When in Australia, be careful what you call your coffee.

Bandt reports that Aboriginal activist Stephen Hagan lodged a complaint about a McDonalds McCafe ad to the Advertising Standards Bureau for the ad because "it contains a culturally offensive reference to indigenous people." McDonalds responded by not airing the ad while waiting for the ad watchdogs verdict. That the McDonald's McCafe TV commercial contained racist references has been dismissed by the watchdog.

"The execution in question featured images of a tall African American basketball player while a voiceover refers to a short black coffee. It is part of a campaign containing a number of ads created by McDonald’s ad agency DDB"

Meanwhile, The Age explains that the ad uses common terms for coffee in Australia, such as "flat white" and "short black". ts the old visual switcheroo that was used in the ad, judging by this description.

The ad, which has screened nationally since May 6, plays on the use of commonly-used descriptive terms for coffee in Australia, where coffee with milk is termed a flat white, and various forms of espresso are known as a long black or short black.

The ad displays the image of a tall African American basketball player while a voiceover refers to a short black coffee.

Similarly, a woman of European appearance sporting a frizzy hairdo is screened while flat white coffee is discussed.