Look at this pic:
It is an AD campaign to sell more dolls during Christmas time.
Did you look with attention? Now, try to guess in which country this advertisement has been launched. Everyone with some brain still working would answer “Finland, Norway or maybe Sweden“.
But surely nobody would think about Peru.
Well, you got your answer wrong because in fact this advertising was launched in Peru by Falabella, an international big store chain, on its official FB page.
Now it happens that young Peruvian girls look slightly different. Of course in Lima the reaction to this AD was strong and many parents and children accused of racism the Chilean corporation and protested online.
Falabella’s CEO wrote a press release denying any form of racism. At the same time the AD campaign was withdrawn.
It could have been just a stupid mistake but living in South America since 2007 I can assure what Falabella did in Peru is normal in many other countries of the region.
Someone should inform AD and Lat-Am marketing managers that times are changed in South America.
Blond and blue eyes people are not anymore the only potential consumers. And to corporations the money spent by non Caucasian buyers – i.e. indigenous, black or mulattoes – should be as good as much the one spent by WASP.
A final question to these many AD “experts” remains and it is very simple: “are you racist or simply stupid?”
Cosa fa VITA?
Da 30 anni VITA è la testata di riferimento dell’innovazione sociale, dell’attivismo civico e del Terzo settore. Siamo un’impresa sociale senza scopo di lucro: raccontiamo storie, promuoviamo campagne, interpelliamo le imprese, la politica e le istituzioni per promuovere i valori dell’interesse generale e del bene comune. Se riusciamo a farlo è grazie a chi decide di sostenerci.