Cape Town - Beer brand Heineken just pulled an ad after Chance the Rapper noted it had racist undertones. The No Problem rapper took to Twitter over the weekend to complain about the ad in which a bartender spots a light-skinned woman eyeing a glass of wine in the distance and decides to slide a beer to her.
The beer then passes a few darker-skinned people before it eventually gets to the woman, who then takes a sip before the tagline “Sometimes, lighter is better” appears on screen.
In a series of tweets the 24-year-old explained why he believed the ad was “terribly racist”.
“I think some companies are purposely putting out noticeably racist ads so they can get more views,” he tweeted.
“And that sh** racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But I gotta just say tho. The ‘sometimes lighter is better’ Heineken commercial is terribly racist omg.”
He then shared the ad with his followers who hadn’t seen it, before explaining his stance further.
“I’m not saying boycott them or go off I’m just noticing how often it happens and I think they baiting consumers and tweeters and freelancers and sh**,” he continued.
Heineken later released a statement admitting they had “missed the mark” before pulling the ad.
“While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer, we missed the mark, are taking the feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns,” the company said in a statement.”
Sources: Business insider, The Guardian
