BK claims licensing behind disappearing Mary J. Blige chicken wrap commercial
The Mary J. Blige Burger King chicken wraps commercial that caused an uproar among African-Americans was pulled, but the corporation says the decision had nothing to do with the backlash the ad received.
The spot debuted this week and in it, Blige sings soulfully about chicken snack wraps.
Burger King said Tuesday the commercial was pulled because of a licensing concern. According to the Associated Press, the company said it hopes to have the Blige “ads back on the air soon,” though a spokeswoman would not comment on whether they ads would be the same.
As the video went viral, some in the black community criticized it as stereotypical.
Madame Noire even posted an open letter to Mary J. Blige entitled “Her Buffoonish Burger King Commercial.” The letter/blog criticizes Mary for participating in the commercial, saying that the advert was a purposeful blow about Black people.
“Having a black woman sing about chicken was no mistake,” writes Renay Alize, “they’re trying to reach the ‘urban’ (aka black) demographic and they used you.”
The VP of North American marketing, Alex Macedo attempted to explain the move and justify the ad campaign.
“The big challenge is how do you really grab people’s attention?” Macedo said, “And, most of all, how do you get them to taste the product? We chose celebrities to get people’s attention faster and to show the diversity that we have with our brand.”
Information from Eurweb.com and Madame Noire contributed to this report.
