UBank withdraws golden poodle poo ad as volcano ad is cleared of racism

Oh shoot me now… I feel for the client and agency alike. Idiocracy is coming true.

These guys get it. While other agencies spend weeks arguing over – and researching – what meaning a new concept will convey, The Monkeys get that today’s audience don’t insist on meaning. And they convince their clients, somehow.
Cadbury’s gorilla is another example of random cutting through. It’s the real issue behind harnessing creative work to sell shit. Great creativity has a mystery about it. Commerce insists on a meaning for everything.

It’s a bit random to call racism on this one, it would be reverse racism to say that certain groups should only ever be positively portrayed in the media.

Having said that, this ad is probably the first time I’ve ever seen a black person featured in a mainstream ad in Australia, which is probably the reason it has attracted so much attention.

Most likely the agency made a rather simplistic decision to use a black guy because the melting gold would contrast more clearly against his skin.

“The Board noted that volcanos are not found in people’s back yards and are therefore not likely to present a real risk to the community.”

Well noted, Board.

Maybe they picked the the actor – who happens to be black – because he is the only one who could pull this thing off! You have to hand it to him; don’t think it would have worked so well without his talent to carry off the joke. Brilliant ad!!
Great to see a colored actor with an none generic Aussie accent on something made locally. How on earth could that be racist? If only mainstream productions could follow suit…

If the white guy would have reached into the ‘hot gold’ they would have called it racist because the black guy didn’t get any.

Was it racist to use a white Poodle?

such fun….

If he was white it probably still would’ve been heralded as racist as why couldn’t a black guy be covered in gold and that it reinforces the stereotype only whites are rich. RIDICULOUS!

Why do we keep pulling ads with blacks off the air?
Remember the ‘We don’t need UV protection’ spot from years ago?

Exactly ! He is a great actor . Why can’t Australia cast all races in their main performance roles. Not just the token Benetton feel. Sick of seeing just the white mainstream boring types in every job. Well cast. Great job for the agency and director.

I never thought the guy was screaming in pain, more like he was laghing hysterically because his hand is now covered in liquid gold. I think the actor they chose portrayed this brilliantly.

Some people just want to complain.
“Oh no, the grass is too green! Marge, fetch me my typewriter”

I think they should pull both of them. Nonsensical rubbish that the agency somehow convinced the client to run.

Peter Rush, your comment:
“The Monkeys get that today’s audience don’t insist on meaning”
is amazing- what you agency types don’t understand is that executions like this don’t sell ‘shit’ as you like to put it.

Creativity and ‘meaning’ should not be mutually exclusive.

I think it is racist, but also unkind ( a bigger offence, to me). I grew up in Africa, and it was common for whites to ” play tricks’ on blacks, usually so as to show that the blacks were ” easily gullible’, ” simple”, ” stupid” and so on. Several others I know have had the same reaction to this ad. Personally, I would not want to do business with U Bank because of this ad.

Oh dear lord, when will the cringing stop?

Does anyone remember when the Spanish complained bout Faulty Towers, accusing the producers of racism for the portrayal of Manuel as a dope and the accusation by Basil that he was less efficient than a trained monkey ?

The simple reply from the producers was to the effect that Basil could hardly be considered a typical English person and therefore…..etc

Has it ever occurred to anyone else that by pointing out a person’s skin colour or ethnic origin, as a good reason to apologise for presenting them enacting a human frailty or weakness, is in itself a racist act. We are all capable of greed , foolishness, bad manners, social gaffs etc.

If this gets out of hand, non Afro American audiences will be prohibited from laughing at entertainers such as Eddie Murphy, Whoopie Goldberg or Bill Cosby.

“The Board noted that volcanos are not found in people’s back yards and are therefore not likely to present a real risk to the community.”
Well noted, Board.

My Sicilian relatives, who live at the foot of Mt Etna, have an active volcano in their backyard.

Tends to emit lava, rather than gold, though.

I saw the volcano as a Bond Villain/Midas riff?? Thought it was funny.

@ Peter Rush, sometimes it would be good if agencies did spend a little bit of time researching and worrying about what the message needs to be. Who knows, they might end up with something effective….

If that ad was racist it would have had the black guy doing the gardening…

Are they suggesting that he’s trying to steal from his neighbour? Or just because a black guy is in an ad that isn’t for rap music it must be racist?? These complaints are beyond ridiculous.

The poodle ad must be racist too, because only a pure white dog could possibly shit gold.

Love these ads – different, unusual, quirky. Stands out from the usual boring bank ‘percentage rate’ ads. Would be great for the brand if the NAB would just relax…

Personally I think the ads are sexist because no woman gets the gold, and a woman is portrayed as stupid because she sniffs the metaphoric shit.

It’s also ageist because nobody is outside the 25-50 year old age bracket, it’s religionists because it doesn’t feature any Muslims, and it’s classist because it doesn’t feature any aspirational self-made millionaires.

I am black and I am very offended by this add!!! Just because most aussie who comment are white and dont get to feel bad seeing my kind being potrayed as idiots who need to be explained to something and who are idiots to put their hands in hot metal (because the creator thinks we are uncivilised? Idiots? too stupid to know it will hurt!!!!) wake up Aussies!!!! I would not see this airing anywhere else!!! What next you show a black man a tv and he gazes at it like something from outer space? Even the white guy in the ad is surprised the guy would put his hand in hot metal!!! This is another century stop the insults

Purile humour at best.

Love it – great ads and hardly racist. Give me a break.

The only Australian ads – that I can recall – featuring a black actor, has them on roller skates and in flares, behind turntables or wearing an afro. Surely the only reason this actor is mentioned as it’s such a shock to see him as what he is: a black actor playing the role of a suburban neighbour on Australian television.

The fact that this is even discussed in 2013 shows us at our parochial best.

I love this ad. It cracks me up every time, and it’d be just as funny with someone of any race sticking their hand in the gold like that.
Can you imagine the uproar if this black guy auditioned, or went for the audition and was told “Sorry, we can’t hire you because you’re black and we don’t want to appear racist”? It seems to me it’s a case of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.

How the f*** is that racist? The worlds turning moronic.

I think both ads are good – bit biased tho with the “poodle” one as it is actually a dog I bred.
The second made me laugh. People need to see the funny side of things with these ads – the minority always seem to win. Racist my foot!
and I agree with Glen’s comment (8th May)
JMO

I love the poodle ad, gorgeous dog!