Advertising - Another ad pulled for racially offensive content

I have to admit, I am not a fully paid up member of the Politically Correct Lynch Mob, but sometimes it doesn't take an Einstein, (am I allowed to say Einstein?) to realise that racial or religious content in ads, just do not work.
The end result is always the same. The ad ends up getting pulled and it's back to the drawing board. Money down the drain.

In Japan, Cosmetic maker Mandom Corp has had to pull an advert that depicts several black people wiping sweat off their faces with facial blotting paper, while a chimpanzee with a curly hair wig and a multicolor outfit imitates them.

Didn't anyone think this through? O.K. it is often said that any publicity is good publicity. But ads such as this achieve very little. You can shock with violence, offend with sex - but not racial or religious content.

Toyota discovered this a few years back when they had to pull an ad featuring a close-up of a smiling mouth with the image of a gold RAV4 sport utility vehicle on one tooth.

Jesse Jackson complained that the only thing missing was the water melon. Mind you, Jackson also called part of Toyota's advertising budget to go to minority-owned advertising firms, which goes to show how effective he is as a realist.

However, as with any rule - there are exceptions. The Scots for example.

Last year they were described as the most over represented minority in TV advertising. Yet despite the "mean" and "aggressive" stereotypes, there are few complaints.

If you are going to use an ad that relies on stereotypes, think beyond your target audience. They are not the only ones who will see your campaign.