This weeks commercial is one that I never actually saw on television but hear about on the radio. It is for Burger King's new crispy chicken wrap, part of their recently revamped menu after falling to #3 in the fast food world behind Wendy's. It is was on the radio program because it has been pulled from television. Before I say anything more about the commercial I'll give you a chance to watch it for yourself:
Although corny I didn't notice anything about this that would warrant it being taken off the air. Burger King states that the ad was released early before all of the licensing and approvals had gone thorough, but numerous people on twitter saw the ad as racist and began to harshly criticize it. They found it offensive that an african american woman would be the one to promote a fried chicken dish. Mary J. Blige is stating that she was told the commercial would be part of a dream sequence and is unhappy with the commercial that aired.
Now for a few questions I have. The tune to which she is singing is from one of her songs "Don't Mind" with the lyrics changed to be about chicken. To me if she found singing about a fried chicken dish as offensive or a problem, then why didn't she bring it up when filming? Next, what is wrong with her singing about chicken? Fast food restaurants aren't known for their huge variety of food, so isn't it likely that the ad would be about either chicken or a hamburger?
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