8917: Chocolate V. Campbell Conclusion.

From The New York Post…

Naomi Campbell chocolate ad deemed ‘not racist’

NEWSCORE

LONDON—Britain’s advertising watchdog confirmed Monday it would take no action against Kraft Foods’ Cadbury chocolate-making division over an alleged “racist” ad featuring supermodel Naomi Campbell.

The ad, which appeared on billboards and in magazines, featured a Dairy Milk Bliss bar on a mound of diamonds, with the slogan “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town,” in an apparent reference to Campbell receiving so-called blood diamonds from Liberian leader Charles Taylor in 1997.

The supermodel urged black consumers to boycott the company’s products and said, “I’m shocked. It’s upsetting to be described as chocolate—not just for me, but for all black women. It is insulting and hurtful.”

But the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which received four complaints including one from pressure group Operation Black Vote, decided not to proceed to a full investigation.

In a written response, the ASA said it did not intervene in matters of “poor taste” and ruled the ad was “likely to be understood to refer to Naomi Campbell’s reputation for ‘diva-style’ behavior rather than her race. On this basis the council decided that the ad was unlikely to be seen as racist or to cause serious or widespread offence.”

Campbell had threatened to sue, leading Cadbury to pull the ad and issue a formal apology last Friday. The two sides agreed to leave the matter there.