Heineken ad shows consequences of corporations not thinking through implications of advertising, corporate marketing expert says

LAWRENCE — Heineken announced this week it would pull a commercial that was roundly criticized as racist. In the advertisement, a bartender spots a woman looking disappointedly at a glass of wine. He then slides a bottle of Heineken Light down the bar, which slides past several African-Americans before stopping at the lighter-complexioned woman, with the tag “sometimes lighter is better.”

The controversy is the latest in the last year roughly in which advertisers have come under fire for racially tone-deaf advertising. Pepsi, Dove and H&M all received criticism for ad campaigns deemed racially offensive. Matt Tidwell, William Allen White School of Journalism & Mass Communications lecturer and director of its integrated marketing communications graduate program, specializes in corporate communication and has studied corporate response to public relations crises. He is available to talk with media about the Heineken campaign, how they responded, charges of racism against corporations, public relations and related topics.

“The consequences of organizations not thinking through the implications of their marketing messages are more damaging than ever,” Tidwell said. “Today’s consumers expect companies to strike the right tone with all of their outreach efforts and certainly including television ads that are seen by millions of people.”

Tidwell has worked in corporate marketing communications for more than 25 years, teaches crisis communications and is part of KU’s Homeland Security Master’s Program that partners with the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth.

To schedule an interview, contact Mike Krings at 785-864-8860 or mkrings@ku.edu.