On Monday Burger King released a commercial featuring Mary J. Blige. There wouldn’t normally be a problem when a chain releases a commercial featuring a celebrity… Unless that celebrity happened to be a black woman singing about chicken. People feel that the ad is insensitive and playing on racial stereotypes. In the 30 second spot, a customer approaches the register and asks “What’s in a chicken snack wrap?” Then Mary J. shows up and begins to soulfully sing about the “crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, all wrapped up in a tasty flour tortilla.”
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Since the backlash to the video, Burger King has taken the video down and apologized. Burger King reps have said the ad was taken down because it was “released prematurely before all of the licensing and final approvals were obtained.” Burger King also wrote in the statement to AP “we would like to apologize to Mary J. and all of her fans for airing an ad that was not final. We know how important Mary J. is to her fans, and we are currently in the process of finalizing the commercial. We hope to have the final ad on the air soon.”
Although the video has been taken down this did not stop it from going viral, garnering thousands of hits on youtube, and having critics cry foul. Mary J. Blige has also released a statement that said:
“I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence.Unfortunately, that’s not what was happening in that clip, so I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you’re a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw to go out.”
Burger King has stated that the final and approved version of the ad will soon be on the air and they are sorry to Mary J. and any fans that were let down by the video.
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