Heineken Slammed For ‘Lighter Is Better’ Ad That Shows Server Pass Beer Over Dark Skinned People
A new ad campaign for a light beer from Heineken was met with some intense criticism on Twitter.
In the ad, a bartender sees a light-skinned woman at the end of the bar with a glass of wine. He then gets a cold Heineken Light and slides it in her direction. Instead of just reaching the woman at the end of the bar, the bottle wizzes by three people — all of them Black.
Eventually the light beer reaches the woman and the words "sometimes lighter is better" appear on the screen.
The ad was shared by many who called it out for racism
The creative team behind the commercial was criticized for the overt messaging
Eventually, Chance the Rapper questioned if companies exploit the outrage that comes with racism for additional publicity
- advertisement
After receiving much negative press, the beer company issued an apology
"For decades, Heineken has developed diverse marketing that shows there's more that unites us than divides us," the company said in a released statement.
"While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer — we missed the mark, are taking the feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns."
