An interesting kerfuffle arose recently when Cadbury ran this ad:...and Naomi Campbell took offense at what she perceived as a racial slur.
Do I think the comparison was meant to be racial, likening the color of chocolate to the color of Naomi’s skin? No.
Do I think it was a dumb, dumb move on Cadbury’s part? Yes.
They could have picked a “diva” of any other race, and no one would have blinked. But I’m kind of agog that no one in Cadbury’s marketing department stopped and said, “Wait—does this leave us open to accusations of racism?