‘Racist’ Heineken Ad Pulled After Attack by Chance the Rapper
Brewer insists it didn’t mean anything by saying ‘lighter is better,’ Chance the Rapper wasn’t convinced.
Marcelo Hernandez / Getty
Heineken was praised for its salute to diversity in its Open Your World ad campaign last year—which featured people of different backgrounds, such as a climate-change denier and an environmental activist, discussing their viewpoints over a beer. But now the company has been forced to pull an advert for its light beer after complaints the commercial was racist, spearheaded by Chance the Rapper.
The bizarre advert showed a bartender apparently spying a woman at the end of the bar and sliding a bottle of beer toward her.
On its travels, the bottle passes several dark-skinned people, including some that appear to be caricatures, such as a black man playing a guitar.
The bottle finally arrives at the hand of a much lighter-skinned woman, before the tag line is delivered: Sometimes lighter is better.
The advert attracted the ire of Chance the Rapper on Sunday night.
I think some companies are purposely putting out noticably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But 😂 I gotta just say tho. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) March 26, 2018
Heineken has now announced that it is pulling the commercial, saying that while the ad was referencing Heineken Light, “we missed the mark.”
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