Dunkin’ Donuts apologized on Saturday for a racially insensitive advertisement in Thailand, and plans to change the advertisement.
According to Fox News, Dunkin’ Donuts were under fire after they aired an advertisement featuring a woman with blackface makeup to promote a new chocolate doughnut. The Human Rights Watch led the criticism, by calling to advertisement bizarre and racist.
“Its both bizarre and racist that Dunkin’ Donuts thinks that it must color a woman’s skin black and accentuate her lips with bright pink lipstick to sell a chocolate doughnut,” said the Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson.
Before an apology was released, the Los Angeles Times reports the chief executive of the Thailand’s Dunkin’ Donuts franchise, Nadim Salhani, saw the criticism as ridiculous and paranoid.
In Thailand, several marketers have played onto racial stereotypes when trying to sell something. For instance, the “Black Man” dustpans use a logo of a smiling black man in a tuxedo and tie.
Despite the criticism, sales for the doughnut in Thailand have increased by 50 percent since the advertisement’s release two weeks ago.