Volkswagen’s latest failure illustrates that even in 2020, brands are still not getting diversity and inclusion right in their marketing. The company owned up to the mistake — albeit ex post facto — but will likely continue to face criticism as consumers grow increasingly fed up with these kinds of oversights.
The ad shows a black man being moved like a marionette by a large white hand, which flicks him to the entrance of the Petit Colon cafe in Buenos Aires, evoking images of colonialism, per Bloomberg. Volkswagen contends it sought to recreate a hand motif that’s popular on TikTok.
