This print advertisement by Intel has been causing quite a stir of late [via Huffington Post]. It seems to convey the idea that owning an Intel chip will help you tackle the same amount of work as you could with a ship of slaves (while making you feel powerful):
I almost fell out of my seat when I saw Intel’s new advertising campaign. It shows six bowing African American athletes before a chino-clad, oxford-shirted white manager with the slug: “Maximize the power of your employees.” This ad reminds me of a slave-ship, and it’s hard to imagine the same imagery did not come to mind for the savvy ad exec that created it…Intel is not just promoting insensitive images, it’s also leading a signature drive for a California ballot measure that would eliminate class action lawsuits over civil rights issues. Intel’s board of directors have been sent 25,000 faxes calling upon the company to withdraw that pending ballot measure. [Link]
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p>There is also a YouTube clip capturing some people’s reaction to this ad:
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Here is the even more interesting part. When the ad was printed in Indian print media they replaced the white dude with a very light skinned Indian “massa'”:
It should be noted that Intel has apologized for and withdrawn these ads, but seeing the same ad in two different cultural contexts does reiterate just how much the idea of “white” putting black to work was a central part of the perceived “effectiveness” of this campaign. It’s rare that you are able to so completely unmask the subtle bigotry of many advertising campaigns.
by the massah, or the sl@ves?
Well, let’s see, six cut, black men and a nerdy white boy who plays with computers… What’s a girl to think about that one?
The ad should of course have a woman in the center, but judging from all the comments that would be sensory overload.
-D
I think it’s a case of colourblind mediocrity. Advertising is a funny business. Everything gets analysed to death while the cage is left open for the 500 lb gorilla to waltz out.
not supposed to think anything. i was curious…
i try to put together mental images of regular SM commenters based on comments….see how close they are to my mental images at the meetups.
ak, they’re trying to get a constitutional amendment passed to absolve them from class action civil rights suits. Please see the CA Sec of State’s web site on ballot initiatives.
Like what, puli?
ok, so maybe the protests were not about race – but maybe they were. you have to wonder about the racial views of a company who is trying to avoid civil rights-based class action (racial discrimination being one of the possible civil rights issues). seems like they should be extra-careful about their practises – incl. marketing – before the results of the ballot come out.
There should be a baiting award so “Divya” could win it, lol.
Maybe someone could symmetrically troll at blackprof.com, under the name “Nia”, and express desire for 6 cut, desi men? To thwart the production of subordinated desi masculinity in the american public, bwahahahaha.
thanks, camille!
When they come out of the blocks wouldn’t they crash headlong into each other? Says something about the processor. This ad is a classic- multiple layers of dumb. Offensive to blacks, whites, asians and sprinters…And why aren’t there any women in the ad? I’m just saying…
huh? is it so odd for grls to dig the cut guy? i mean, cmon. thats what ‘gym membership’ is for….
Ok, sorry, here’s another link from the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights (CA-based) to the CA Legislature opposing the initiative: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/FTCR-Ltr-LAO_8-7-07.pdf
Also, just to clarify, “but this couldn’t be about race” was sarcastic, on my part 🙂
doesnt intel have a cr@pload of non white employees?
12-no desh- why are you avoiding apple and verizon? i hope anthropologie and ethan allen are on that ‘no buy’ list
Exactly. I hear this argument all the damn time with regard to both race and gender… ‘Complaining too much is just defeatist, you’re only as oppressed as you think you are,’ etc. Argh. BTW, I just read a great blog post on this called “How to Suppress Discussions of Racism“– definitely worth a click.
I’d never ask someone to stick their neck out that way… however, a personal anecdote: at my old job in NYC, when the CEO unveiled the new ad campaign, one of my coworkers, a Latina woman who did not rank particularly highly in the company, raised her hand in the big company meeting to point out that the campaign didn’t include any women or people of color, although our (legal industry) clients included large numbers of both. The CEO gave her an evil look and started to defend himself, but one of the owners of the company, a white male lawyer, spoke up and agreed with her publicly, at which point other staff members, especially women, started to agree and speak up. They both won my respect… and the ad campaign was changed.
Beside racism, I have problem with the caption. I don’t think there is any correlation between “Multiply the computing performance” and “Maximize the power of your employeesâ€.
“Maximizing the power of your employees” depends on how smart the manager is, not on how nice the office chairs are..or how fast the Intel processor is… Who ever designed that ad, he/she lacks basic commonsense.
how many desis work in marketing? is it popular amongst the creative desi crowd to do marketing (and i dont mean number crunching marketing research)?
Well, the whole idea of women desiring/objectifying subordinated black men does have a very long and seriously twisted history in the US…
Man. I wonder what Toni Morrison would have to say about all this.
yeah…but thats how yu generate demand for a product. its the same as axe deoderant adds that say “use our deoderant and girls will have sex with you”. off course your brand of deoderant isnt what determines if a grl likes you. but, to create demand, you need to associate your product with success in attaining your goals..
objectifying is fun…generally…
in fact…im objectifying everyone….right now….as i speak..
it’s not – my brother is in marketing, and he says very few are in marketing, period, much less in pr and ad campaigns. most desi business types go for the finance, and even those in marketing don’t really go towards the creative side of it. on the other hand, i guess there are some people who choose a different route – e.g. from graphics – and end up in creative ads. i think it’s odd that desis outside s. asia are so narrow in our choice of professions (until now) – when i was working for a desi start-up and we had to choose an indian firm for our ads, the samples they sent us were some of the best i’ve seen from any country.
There should be a baiting award so “Divya” could win it, lol.
Maybe someone could symmetrically troll at blackprof.com, under the name “Nia”, and express desire for 6 cut, desi men? To thwart the production of subordinated desi masculinity in the american public, bwahahahaha.
Dave, you are a total IDIOT. It’s just a picture. Do you need me to say, “I’ve never had sex with a black man?” Well, I have not. Does that make your booh booh feel better?
The main issue I see here is bad marketing. Horribly stupid marketing. And, yes, when I first saw the ad I also took it as sprinters in position to take off. I guess, hence the ‘maximize the power’ bit. Regardless, Intel should have immediately taken note of the racist undertones (overtones?).
Still, I can’t help but think people are waiting for an ad to come out only to scrutinize it to pieces and to essentially create something that never was. I agree that the racist imagery here can be easily deduced, but at the same time an argument can be made as to how/why it is not. One outweighs the other, but still. To draw the conclusion of ‘slave ship’ is particularly cruel and over-the-top in my opinion.
In terms of the six worker ‘clones’…again, I can understand the racist implications here. BUT, to play devil’s advocate, the ad says ‘multiply computing performance’ and I think it’s clear that they were conveying this in the most literal way.
Again, not saying it was smart of them to do so, but I find it unreasonable that if there’s ever a situation where a black person is placed in any situation subordinately to a white man (employee-employer) it’s immediately categorized as racism. However, I definitely think that advertising and marketing companies DO have a responsibility to break the pattern as to set an example of entirely diverse social settings.
divya amuses me.
Sadly,this disgusting display doesn’t surprise me. Time has changed,not people’s attitudes towards others! Last night, I had a conversation about racism in the workplace with a friend who works in IT, he said that he would rather deal with people whowould just come out and be racist if that’s what they believe instead of pretending to be tolerant around him and his other desi friends but makes racial jokes in secret. White people really are stupid when they think they aren’t that transparent, that us minorities will be too stupid to get it. These whities have been causing problems and discriminating on others forever, as long as time has gone on, but the main issues is that they are just being more forthcoming about being racist, or are that insensitive and stupid to think that this wouldn’t hurt other peoples feelings.they seem to conveniently forget the whole 200 years of slavery here caused by them and yes I am a racist and a bigot, SO WHAT, whitey isn’t the only one who can hate others because of skin color, the club isn’t exclusive anymore
A couple of points.
“I don’t personally find the ad offensive, but others might, and that might make the company look bad” and point to other instances, ie the A&F chinese shirts, etc…
It could be biting your tongue to a degree, in the interest of saving face.
i have a hilarious story to share about my experience in diversity training in corporate america at a very big company. i can’t write now but i’ll check in later this day and add it. It’s like something out of The Office, only it happened to me and it ended well. Meaning, I quit my job because I was essentially black listed for calling out rascism in diversity training.
your a racist. good for you. u must be proud….
And how exactly do we prove this unconscious racism? I am not saying racism isn’t real, just that seeing it everywhere lessens its impact when it actually happens.
Oh, really? Art, such as it is, now brought to you by a politically correct committee.
Media creators have a responsibility to make money for their employer, and viewers have the freedom not to watch neuron zapping nonsense like Friends.
HMF, I absolutely agree. I can think of a few non-white-male owners who might have had my coworker’s back if they’d been present, but even if they had spoken up I don’t think they would have gotten the CEO’s ear the way the white male owner did. My coworker was brave to speak up, but her speech wasn’t ‘heard’, it didn’t ‘matter’ (to him) until it was backed up with a powerful white male voice. That’s why I think it’s a particularly revealing incident.
Jenn, standing up against racism doesn’t make you a racist, and being pissed off about it isn’t the same thing as hate… I mean, maybe you really do mean that, but I read your words to be a reaction against the almost-inevitability of some white person calling you a racist or a bigot because you speak out. Am I right? I don’t know you, but I’d hate to think that you actually want to be associated with those terms…
Time to go objectify Sendhil Ramamurthy… (i kid!) (kind of!)
note to self….look more like Sendhil Ramamurthy…
While the picture undeniably has racial significance (intended or not), I think that, unlike what many commenters think, the ad guys meant the dude in the middle to be “employee” and not the “you” in “..the power of your employees”. The sprinters/slaves are the processors. The “you” (manager) is not in the picture at all. So don’t be “massah”-ing the dude in the picture.
do people pay attention to racial sensitivity in india? i know in Europe, it is much less on peoples radar (except for apoligizing about naziims and stuff like that)
the word of the day..
I’m really sick of hearing how politically correct boots are stomping on everybody’s faces every time somebody speaks out against racism or points out that artists can be held responsible for the ideology of their art. Nobody’s throwing anybody in the gulag (except for Homeland Security, of course). If you can create art, you can damn well hear criticism of your art. And if you’re only making art to make money for your employers, and shilling racist crap is what makes money, is that really worth defending?
I just came across this ad and am amazed that someone in their marketing department could believe that this was appropriate. I used to work in marketing (granted it was in the pharma industry), and every print ad would get serious review (in some cases even our General Counsel) before an ad went out. At best, it’s grossly irresponsibe, at worst – it’s racist.
Ha! just got off of reading sarah’s link:
Remember: Responding to what your opponent says should always be a last resort. To do so requires the extra effort of reading someone else’s words and considering the implications of unfamiliar or uncomfortable thoughts. The discussion will go much faster if you just assume your opponent has said what you want to argue about and respond to that instead.
Examples:
“Do you want to censor an artist’s vision?”
“You want people to boycott art unless it’s politically correct.“
And viewers have the freedom to collectively state that is misrepresentative… unless.. oh.. that’s being too ‘sensitive’
I forwarded this to an (Indian) friend of mine who works for an advertsing agency and she was floored that this made it through the first clearance process–much less all the way through towards publication. The one thing marketing execs are taught is to look at an ad objectively and look for any possible way it can be misconstrued in the eyes of the public.
For those who say it’s not racist (not many on here, but plenty on some of the other links provided), they’re missing the cultural context behind the opposition. This is a country where not very long ago blacks were kept as slaves by white people. That is a solid part of history that still stands as a thorn in the side of all American’s.
After taking some time to really read all about this advertising campaign, I finally see the point Intel was trying to make–although it took some time and eye-squinting for it to sink in. My time-elasped reaction to this ad went as such:
(sees picture for the first time)“Whoa–are those black men bowing to a white slave owner?!”
(looks closer) “No wait, when I look closer I see they’re all runners ready to sprint, but then…why are they all black sprinters? Why not mix up the runners with non-black individuals?”
(looks even closer) “Oh wait..I think it’s the same black guy photoshopped 6 times over an over again. Was that laziness on the part of the producer?”
(reads public statement by Intel’s VP) “Ahh..I see they photoshopped him in an effort to visually represent the multiply computing processes aspect of the add…I get it multiply the runners…”
Any ad that requires that much research and insight on the part of the viewer is an incredibly poorly executed advertisement. Where did these marketing execs go to school??
Dude, HMF, I can’t quite parse what you are saying this early in the morning, but I am going to assume you are agreeing with me … 🙂
if they’re about to sprint, why would they be facing each other? they would collide. and besides, where would they go? it looks like they’re in cubicles. this doesn’t make much sense…
oops, i had my brightness set to 0 so it looked like the black men were naked…now i see their running clothes but this sprinting talk still makes little sense.
It is still worth defending their right to spew poor ad copy. Freedom of speech and all that, y’know. It is equally worth defending your right to say it is racist crap. Otherwise, there will be no arguments, no ‘adda’, and no SM. See how it all ties in … 🙂
When I saw the Ad, I did not think of a slave ship. I did think if all the athletes were black- why is the office worker white- don’t they have black office workers/team leaders/managers etc? On the whole, I would say it’s almost never worth it(on the job) for a “black” POC, to ever notice racism. By default “we” are all 100% ideologically behind Jesse Jackson anyway, why give incontrovertible proof of the fact.
Sarah- #64- thanks for the link- priceless. (HMF crush back ON!)
As part of an art exhibit, I wouldn’t make a lick of fuss over these two images. In fact, the contrast between the first image featuring a white male and the second featuring a desi male would be a telling commentary on social stratification communicated through art. I’d look at them, go “mmhmmm” and move on.
In reality, the fact that a multinational corporation PAID someone to produce and publish these images is quite another matter. Text aside, does the image communicate something that Intel wants to be associated with? I hope not because I immediately see subjugation and colonization in both. In fact, I sat with my mouth agape for a few moments trying to figure out what the hell the ad was for!
Divya writes “Dave, you are a total IDIOT.” Wow, I’m glad I comment anonymously. I still have a chance for everyone to like me. =)
This still doesn’t exonerate the ad. On another blog which posted this image, one commentator summed up the message as: “Intel: it’s like having the power of six nggrs in your processor.” There is still racial coding present in the ad.
I don’t know what ‘proving’ racism actually means. We’re all good postmodernists here; who would still assert that we can truly ‘know’ authorial/artistic intent, or that that is what is important in decoding representation and discourse? Reader response theory 101: meaning is created by the audience. In this case, the audience overwhelmingly construes the ad as racist in effect (regardless of ‘intent’).
There is ample social psychology work that’s been done on this (unconscious racism). All of us (ABDs) are unconsciously racist — it’s a by-product of growing up in a hyper racialized society like the U.S. If you’d like me to provide links, papers, and books on “unconscious racism,” I can do that, but only if it’s actually going to be helpful.
Maybe we have different understandings of what racism is. I don’t think it “just happens” — I personally think this country is systematically and institutionally racist, and that moments of racist depiction/action simply highlight the underlying, ongoing social problems we have around race. I also don’t think that pointing something out as racist then “lessens” the impact of another racist incident. If Don Imus says something bigoted on radio and Intel comes out with a sloppy ad that is, as Aparna eloquently put it, either “grossly incompetent” or “racist”, I don’t think pointing to both of them being idiotic makes one more or less so.
The fact of the matter, my first reaction when I saw this ad was NOT “oh, sprinters.” It was “why are those Black guys bowing down to a white guy? And why do they all look the same? What?” I had to read the ad SEVERAL times to understand the argument they were making, and I still found it offensive.
sarah, loved the link.
kurma, it doesn’t really matter what the ad guy meant. Clearly he didn’t mean for this to invoke racist imagery. That said, I’m not alone in reading it that way. In this case it’s the impact, not the intent, that matters. The intent only drives how much we forgive the ad guy for making a dumb mistake.
“Dude, HMF, I can’t quite parse what you are saying this early in the morning, but I am going to assume you are agreeing with me … :-)”
You should work for the Bush Administration, if you don’t already.
Ya kinda lost me, so I’ll just assume you agree with me 🙂
OK 😉