Burger King

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Burger King (BK) is an American multinational chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based restaurant chain.Burger King's menu has extended from an essential contribution of burgers, French fries, soft drinks, and milkshakes to a bigger and more assorted arrangement of items. In 1957, the "Whopper" turned into the primary major addition to the menu, and it has become Burger King's unique item since.[1]

Mary J. Blige Burger King Commercial

Screengrab from Mary J. Blige Burger King Commercial.

The advertisement includes the R&B star Mary J. Blige profoundly singing the ideals of the fast-food chain's new chicken wrap. (Jay Leno, David Beckham, and Selma Hayek show up in similar advertisements as a feature of a bigger endeavor to rebrand the fast-food giant).

In the clipp, Blige wearing a black leather coat and shades, stands in a disco-lit BK  and belting out verses to the tune of her song "Don't Mind," about the chicken sandwich: “Crispy chicken, fresh lettuce, three cheeses, ranch dressing wrapped up in a tasty… flour… tortilla.”[2]

Controversy

This ad was broadly criticized for playing into African-American stereotypes. The blog Madame Noir commented Blige's presentation as "buffoonish," and ad author Thembisa S. Mshaka says the issue established from  “the tone-deaf representation of black women in advertising”  that propagates "the smelled, cheeky, rough yet engaging 'soul sista'" stereotype. Mshaka proceeds to compare Blige's Burger King advertisement and those of her friends as quoted from ew.com:

“Of all the endorsers, Mary is the only one who is rude, terse, and invasive. She interrupts the store manager with a sound-check type mic squeal — from ATOP a restaurant table. Leno, Salma and Beckham have sweet, fun dispositions — and are ALL at the counter, like normal people. Mary appears out of nowhere, mad for no reason, over the contents of a chicken wrap, which she proceeds to outline in a song where she’s not so much singing as belting.”[3]

Clarification

Burger King has apologized for delivering the ad by saying that the advertisement was unplugged due to authorizing issues however Blige has a somewhat different story.

Blige says that the commercial is entirely unexpected from the idea she was introduced when she endorsed on to be one of the fast-food chain's representatives in its new campaign. She likewise apologized for the ad, saying she didn't support the last version.

According to Blige in an interview with Business Insider, "I agreed to be a part of a fun and creative campaign that was supposed to feature a dream sequence. Unfortunately, that's not what was happening in that clip, so I understand my fans being upset by what they saw. But, if you're a Mary fan, you have to know I would never allow an unfinished spot like the one you saw to go out."[4]

Blige added that she was initially sold on the idea that she would “be shot in an iconic way” for the ad and that she’d seen it as “a great branding opportunity.” SShe additionally said that while she comprehended the jokes about the spot thinking back, the experience likewise showed her who her genuine friends were. Busta Rhymes hit me and he said, "Are you ok, sis?  I see what you were attempting to do,'" reviewed Blige. Fat Joe told Blige, that they couldn't care less about that dumb chicken commercial or whatever. "We love you, Mary, and we understand what you were attempting to do."[5]

As per Burger King, the reason the spot was yanked from the Web was because the ad was released rashly before it was completely approved. They additionally apologize to Blige saying, "we might want to apologize to Mary J. and every last bit of her fans for circulating a promotion that was not final. We know how significant Mary J. is to her fans, and we are in the process of finishing the advertisement. We hope to have the final ad on the air soon.”[6]

References

  1. Burger King. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  2. Rahman,Ray (2012). Burger King pulls Mary J. Blige ad, faces outcry over 'racist' overtones. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  3. Rahman. Ray (2012). Burger King pulls Mary J. Blige ad, faces outcry over 'racist' overtones. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  4. Russell, Mallory (2012). Mary J. Blige Blasts Burger King Over 'Racist' Commercial She Stars In. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  5. Rolling Stone. Mary J. Blige: Burger King Chicken Ad Fallout ‘Crushed Me’. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.
  6. Rivas, Jorgre (2012). Burger King Apologizes for Mary J. Blige Chicken Ad. Retrieved on December 25, 2020.