Burger King in New Zealand has profusely apologized after facing online heat for releasing a “racist” ad campaign for a new Asian-themed burger.
In the ad, several people are seen attempting to eat the burger chain’s latest creation – the Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tendercrisp sandwich – with a pair of oversized chopsticks.
A screenshot of the Burger King New Zealand ad, featuring people trying to eat a burger with chopsticks. Photograph: Burger King/Instagram
“Take your taste buds all the way to Ho Chi Minh City with our Vietnamese Sweet Chili Tendercrisp, part of our Tastes of the World range. Available for a limited time only,” read the caption included in the video.
The video was posted on Twitter, where it went viral after garnering more than 2.9 million views as of Tuesday morning.
“So this is the new Burger King ad for a “Vietnamese” burger,” tweeted Maria Mo, a Korean New Zealander who posted the video. “Ok coolcoolcoolcoolcool CHOPSTICKS R HILARIOUS right omg.”
A twist by Maria about racist ad by Burger King
Some people weren’t impressed with the ad, deeming it racist.
“This is disgusting,” tweeted one person.
“This is utterly unpalatable, @BurgerKing NZ. And from the looks of it, neither is your sandwich,” tweeted another.
“Thanks, I hate this,” another chimed in.
In a statement to the New Zealand Herald, New Zealand Burger King’s general manager of marketing James Woodbridge apologized for the offensive campaign.
“We are truly sorry that the ad has appeared insensitive to our community,” he said. “We have removed it and it certainly does not reflect our brand values around diversity and inclusion.”
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– Canoe.com