... Cadbury Complaints

The latest Cadbury ad promoting its Fairtrade-ness has received a bunch of complaints for 'racial stereotyping'. The ad, set in Ghana and featuring a giant tribal head that rains cocoa beans, has prompted 15 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority. It has yet to decide whether to investigate the complaints, which claim that the ad is demeaning to African people.

Surely this ad is there to celebrate, not exploit the fact, that it’s sourcing fairtrade from Africa? If aim was to give a ‘typical’ view of Ghana then hasn’t it done this? According to wonderful Wikipedia, Ghana consists of mostly Black ethnic groups, with only 7.8% of the population classed as ‘other’ e.g. White British. Therefore, how is this ad demeaning? It’s a celebration and noone is portrayed negatively. Think this just a case of people being pernickety and submitting to Britain’s complaining culture. Boo to them.