Essay Ten

The following letter appeared in Adweek on February 21, 2005:

Recent Twix spot: What were they thinking?

I was surprised recently to see the very disturbing television spot for Twix featuring the African American couple [in which the wife asks the husband if her pants make her look fat, and the camera then zooms in on her butt, which makes it look huge]. Obviously, there was no consideration as to whether the spot would be offensive to African American women or women in general. It perpetuates a stereotype of black women that we would all prefer to put behind us (no pun intended).

What’s more disturbing is that Mars has an affiliation with a very fine and respected African American ad agency, UniWorld. Clearly no one bothered to consult with them on this creative.

Two major faux pas!

McGhee Williams
Managing partner
Burrell
Chicago

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For anyone actually paying attention to the contents of this blog (a small and lonely group, I suspect), it should be clear by now that I believe the advertising industry has lots of problems regarding race and diversity. But, damn—McGhee Williams is taking the revolution a little too seriously.

I think the Twix spot is funny. The truth is, it’s hardly an original idea—a wife or girlfriend asking if something makes her look fat is a common joke. And Twix plays it out in pretty common fashion. So what’s the faux pas here?

An informal poll of African American friends and associates—including women—failed to find a single person offended by the spot. Dave Chappelle and the Wayans Brothers routinely deliver material that’s much more racy (no pun intended). Granted, these comedians are established personalities, so audiences expect their broad comedy styles. But Twix doesn’t come anywhere near these guys’ level of outrageous behavior.

I have no doubt that McGhee Williams found the spot offensive. I’m sure others also found it offensive—just as certain people find reasons to take offense to every ad on the air. However, to position the message as racially insensitive and perpetuating stereotypes is going overboard.

McGhee Williams’ remarks become more complicated because African Americans make up a diverse group. Attempting to categorize everyone’s reactions is impossible. Plus, it actually leads to creating and perpetuating stereotypes, which is not McGhee Williams’ objective (I hope). I definitely do not need a spokesperson for my perspectives.

Having worked at agencies like Burrell, I’ll say with absolute certainty that McGhee Williams has produced many spots ultimately deemed offensive by African Americans. We’re an easily offended group. McGhee Williams’ response to the Twix ad confirms this quite clearly. I’ll bet there are plenty of Burrell and UniWorld spots perpetuating stereotypes too (stay tuned—this topic deserves a future posting).

Maybe McGhee Williams is sensitive about the size of her own booty. I recommend that she pull her head out of her ass and lighten up already. Let’s protest the real offenses in our industry.



[Special thanks to Miss P for input on this posting.]