Burger King battles accusations of racial insensitivity

In the wake of an era where America has elected it’s first Black president and over a century of progress to rest its burdens upon, Black people fight diligently to protect it’s images in the media.
Recently, Mary J. Blige was involved in a controversial commercial for Burger King in which she performed a song that lists the ingredients to the fried chicken snack wrap for the fast food chain.
For many, there is no problem and they question the legitimacy of the claims by many of the commercial’s critics that have spoken out over the internet.
Here’s the problem. For many of us aware of Black issues, culture, and history it appeared that Mary had “sold out.”
You can reference any early movie era film that depicted Blacks and you’ll find that Blacks were often depicted in stereotypical situations. The commercial is not about her singing the ingredients, it’s more about the representation- she’s urban, she’s screaming through the restaurant, and to top it off she’s singing about the ingredients in the snack wrap. She’s uncouth and far from elegant.
And let’s compare the David Beckham commercial. David is a soccer player with international appeal that is promoting something that’s healthier. I clearly see where they were going with this advertisement; a consumer with a healthier consciousness. It’s doubtful that the marketing and advertisement team were not trying to reach the urban, Black, and younger demographic in this ad for Mary. But, marketing should responsible and sensitive as well as cognizant of those audiences they are trying to reach.
Peter Shankman, a branding and social media expert spoke out on CNN to debunk the concerns of the bloggers and critics of this commercial.
“There is nothing wrong with the ad, it could have stayed up there,” Shankman said.
Shankman, although knowledgeable about communications, I highly doubt he’s as versed in Black issues.
Finally, I’m not sure if it’s because there are not enough positive Black images on television or if Blacks are hypersensitive in regard to recent events involving the tragic murder of Trayvon Martin, but regardless of race, people have a right to stand up and object to the representation of their ethnic group in the mainstream media.