A new Coke ad was called racist that is airing for Super Bowl 2013. The commercial was criticized by Arab American groups for its depiction of an Arab man.
Coca-Cola is one of the largest companies in the world and advertises every year during the Super Bowl, but one of their ads is being called racist by Arab-American groups. According to Reuters, an ad by the company airing during the upcoming Super Bowl depicts an Arab walking through the desert with a camel, prompting one group to ask the beverage company to change it before CBS airs the game on Sunday before an expected audience of more than 100 million U.S. viewers.
"Why is it that Arabs are always shown as either oil-rich sheiks, terrorists, or belly dancers?" said Warren David, president of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, or ADC.
The teaser of the ad was released last week to promote the commercial and shows an Arab walking through a desert and then soon after he encounters some cowboys, Las Vegas showgirls and a motley crew called the Badlanders inspired by the apocalyptic "Mad Max" film race by him to reach a gigantic bottle of Coke.
During the ad, Coke asks viewers to vote online on which characters should win the race. The online site does not allow a vote for the Arab character.
"The Coke commercial for the Super Bowl is racist, portraying Arabs as backward and foolish Camel Jockeys, and they have no chance to win in the world," Imam Ali Siddiqui, president of the Muslim Institute for Interfaith Studies, said in an email.
"What message is Coke sending with this?" asked Abed Ayoub, ADC's director of legal and policy affairs. "By not including the Arab in the race, it is clear that the Arab is held to a different standard when compared to the other characters in the commercial," he said.
CBS did not comment on the ad, but Coca-Cola spokeswoman Lauren Thompson said Coke took a "cinematic" approach with the ad.
"Coca-Cola is an inclusive brand enjoyed by all demographics," she said in an email. "We illustrate our core values, from fun and refreshment to happiness, inspiration and optimism across all of our marketing communications."
Ayoub said ADC intended to contact Coke and CBS Corp on Thursday to "hopefully start a dialog."
"I want to know why this happened and how can we fix this if possible before Sunday," he said.
According to Reuters, the ADC garnered attention back in 1992 when it complained that lyrics in the Walt Disney animated film "Aladdin" were racist.
As one of the largest beverage companies in the world, Coca-Cola spends millions of dollars on advertising, but this commercial is bringing the wrong type of attention. The company has a large stake in the Middle Eastern market and the bad publicity could affect sales in the region. Ayoub also made a point that many convenience stores and other retail outlets in the United States that offer Coke are owned by Arab-Americans.
