GM 'there's no excuse for insensitivity'

Upon first watching the Chevrolet Trax SUV ad, it’s difficult to catch the lyric branded racist:“In the land of Fu Manchu, the girls all now do the Suzie-Q, clap their hands in the centre of the floor, saying 'ching-ching, chop suey, swing some more”.But Georgeana Fung, Etymon founding partner and executive director and ex-vice president of Weber Shandwick Greater China, said there’s no excuse for its insensitivity.“The initial message I got from the ad is that Chevrolet’s new model can take drivers on an exotic adventure, and the reference to China in the song is because Asia was seen as an exotic place back then in the West,” she said.“But even such a simple matter like the lyrics, especially in such a culturally sensitive zone, people will hear it whether the creator meant it or not will not matter."Which is why advertisers need to be overly sensitive with these things, especially given the tight political environment between America and China.”Broadcasted in Canada and posted on Chevrolet’s European website since early April, the ad was withdrawn yesterday after being slammed by the South China Morning Post."Once the issue was called to our attention, GM immediately removed the offensive content from the commercial," GM Canada communications director Faye Roberts told the SCMP.She said the commercial had "received some negative feedback regarding the lyrics" and that "it is never our intention to offend the audience".Ryndee Carney, a Detroit-based GM spokeswoman, told Bloomberg Businessweek that the company is “reviewing [their] advertising approval process to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”Though Fung applauds GM’s fast action, she questions whether the case will fully die down, especially at a time when the carmaker is trying to gain market share in China.“With the impact of the Internet, what GM needs to do now is to stay tuned on media coverage around the world. But the lesson here is: before the creation of any ad, the message and concept need to be really well thought-out, even if the product isn’t launched in a certain region. The brand is global, so the audience is global.”Clara Shek, managing director of Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide Hong Kong, however, said that since the campaign was only meant for Canada and Europe, its slip – though regretful – is acceptable.“I feel like if people are not familiar with the history or background of the song, you’ll just hear the beat of the music. Ideally, a global perspective for a global audience is best, but even in Hong Kong, there are many campaigns that aren’t meant for a world-wide viewer,” she said, adding that subsequent crisis management is how to maintain a brand’s reputation.The GM fiasco comes at a time when automakers as a category are in the cross hairs of the unforgiving and very vocal social masses.In March alone, JWT India made scam ads for Ford featuring female celebrities tied up in a trunk to show the legroom of the space. Though Ford claims it has no knowledge of these ads, both the agency and the carmarker were repeatedly slammed to be sexist and anti-feminist. Particularly given the suggestion of violence against woman at a time when India is doing much soul searching on the issue.More locally, a Buick Chinese dealership made a disastrous marketing stunt when it blogged a photo of a stolen car and a kidnapped baby – who was later murdered hours after the post was made – to highlight the importance of having GPS in a car.Andrew Kirk, managing director of Edelman Hong Kong and Macau, said advertisers must look at the global consequences and look at the cultural sensitivities of every campaign.“The fact is that the world is now global. The stakes are there, but it’s a matter of how quickly the PR can react to them. But for all agencies, everyone who works in communications should be culturally sensitive to these issues and should respect that.”The ad could be watched here.