LazyLion
King of de Jungle
http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2013/08/29/pizza-ad-chowed-after-complaints
Not everybody is tucking into Debonairs Pizza's new television advert.
The pizza franchise has quickly reworded the title of the advert, following complaints from Indian patrons who found the "all those bunny chow clowns better recognise" phrase offensive.
"Although we strongly believe the meaning has been taken out of context and strongly misunderstood, we have now changed the title to now read 'All these kotaclowns better recognise'," said spokesman Pondo Belot.
She explained that the advert, which is in Zulu, referred to kota, a township-style bunny chow, with "all sorts of fillings like polony, mangola, slap chips, atchar, eggs, mince and Russian [sausages]".
"The use of the words bunny chow were intended only in that context. The intended message take is that this guy, the character, Cheeseboy, used to eat kotas with his boys, but now he's gotten the real deal - pizzas - [and] his friends, who are still eating kotas, better recognise when they see him rolling with the new real deal pizzas.
"So in the absence of the title that's all you would have heard him say with no racial, demographical or cultural connotation. The focus would have then been on the humour, aspirational aspect and South Africanness of the advert," she said.
But Trushantha Vandayar, one of the 12 patrons who complained on Debonairs' Facebook page, did not buy the explanation.
"I do not understand the thinking of your creative teams [because] not many people associate bunny chows with a kota eaten in the township," she said.
"Any person with just two inches of a brain will be able to tell you that the bunny chow is something that Indians have proudly been associated with," Janine Govender wrote on a consumer website.
Belot said kota was not used in the title as Debonairs opted for a word they believed was universally recognised and understood.
"We would never intentionally discriminate against any segment of the population and we sincerely apologise that this advert has offended some of our supporters."
Not everybody is tucking into Debonairs Pizza's new television advert.
The pizza franchise has quickly reworded the title of the advert, following complaints from Indian patrons who found the "all those bunny chow clowns better recognise" phrase offensive.
"Although we strongly believe the meaning has been taken out of context and strongly misunderstood, we have now changed the title to now read 'All these kotaclowns better recognise'," said spokesman Pondo Belot.
She explained that the advert, which is in Zulu, referred to kota, a township-style bunny chow, with "all sorts of fillings like polony, mangola, slap chips, atchar, eggs, mince and Russian [sausages]".
"The use of the words bunny chow were intended only in that context. The intended message take is that this guy, the character, Cheeseboy, used to eat kotas with his boys, but now he's gotten the real deal - pizzas - [and] his friends, who are still eating kotas, better recognise when they see him rolling with the new real deal pizzas.
"So in the absence of the title that's all you would have heard him say with no racial, demographical or cultural connotation. The focus would have then been on the humour, aspirational aspect and South Africanness of the advert," she said.
But Trushantha Vandayar, one of the 12 patrons who complained on Debonairs' Facebook page, did not buy the explanation.
"I do not understand the thinking of your creative teams [because] not many people associate bunny chows with a kota eaten in the township," she said.
"Any person with just two inches of a brain will be able to tell you that the bunny chow is something that Indians have proudly been associated with," Janine Govender wrote on a consumer website.
Belot said kota was not used in the title as Debonairs opted for a word they believed was universally recognised and understood.
"We would never intentionally discriminate against any segment of the population and we sincerely apologise that this advert has offended some of our supporters."
nairs pizza.
