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Microsoft, Poland, racism and marketing

  • 26-08-2009 8:22pm
    #1
    Rebelheart
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,077 ✭✭✭


    Over on The Irish Times website this evening Microsoft is in the dock for changing the colour of a black man to white in its latest advertising campaign in Poland.

    Here's the story:

    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0826/breaking45.htm

    Before I even found out it was Poland I remembered that Ford advert in 1996 where the non-white members of the Ford workforce in a group photo from its Dagenham plant in Britain had their skin coloured white. It seemed so bizarre at the time I have never forgotten it. Here's that story:

    http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/22/world/british-ford-has-egg-whites-on-its-face.html

    So, what on earth is it with marketeers in Poland and recolouring melanic-skinned human beings?


Comments

  • #2
    Hagar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,793 ✭✭✭✭Hagar


    White is the new black.


  • #3
    DonkeyStyle \o/
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,145 ✭✭✭DonkeyStyle \o/


    They photoshopped him out because he's old and they want to seem like a more young and exciting company... of course all the racists immediately assume it's because he's black because that's all they see.

    /comes out of the ageist closet


  • #4
    ejmaztec
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 24,230 ✭✭✭✭ejmaztec


    What they need is a great big melting pot.


  • #5
    994
    Closed Accounts Posts: 911 ✭✭✭994


    Nobody complains that Toyota never have a Japanese person doing the voiceover on their ads, it's always an American


  • #6
    Bonavox
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,713 ✭✭✭Bonavox


    It's called business my friend! Photoshop skills are very important!


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  • #7
    pickarooney
    Moderators, Arts Moderators Posts: 35,731 Mod ✭✭✭✭pickarooney


    They're in the process of removing it. What are they doing, hiring a Hymac?


  • #8
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,972 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    Anyone remember that ad for somthing or other which featured a team of black men bowed down (doing something) and a white guy stood over them? I think it was for something like office equipment.

    edit - found it


  • #9
    brummytom
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,572 ✭✭✭✭brummytom


    Shit editing to be honest


  • #10
    An Fear Aniar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,377 ✭✭✭An Fear Aniar


    Another site, compare language versions:

    http://www.umlub.pl/index2.html

    .


  • #11
    Dord
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,817 ✭✭✭✭Dord


    Damn that's bad editing.


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  • #12
    Bob_Harris
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,619 ✭✭✭Bob_Harris


    It's not racism, it's target marketing.


  • #13
    bleg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,848 ✭✭✭bleg


    Can't believe it hasn't been said


    FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIL!!!!!


  • #14
    hidinginthebush
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,679 ✭✭✭hidinginthebush


    I'm more surprised that they only shopped out the brother but not the Asian dude? Terrible attempt at racism in my opinion!


  • #15
    MmmmmCheese
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 357 ✭✭MmmmmCheese


    DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote: »
    They photoshopped him out because he's old and they want to seem like a more young and exciting company... of course all the racists immediately assume it's because he's black because that's all they see.

    /comes out of the ageist closet

    Why couldn't they have replaced him with a younger black guy then?

    This is just takin the piss.


  • #16
    GhostInTheRuins
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,978 ✭✭✭GhostInTheRuins


    An Fear Aniar wrote: »
    Another site, compare language versions:

    http://www.umlub.pl/index2.html

    .

    That's crazy.


  • #17
    MarkHobBray1977
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 99 ✭✭MarkHobBray1977


    FAIL !


  • #18
    DonkeyStyle \o/
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,145 ✭✭✭DonkeyStyle \o/


    MmmmmCheese wrote: »
    Why couldn't they have replaced him with a younger black guy then?
    Because they didn't even notice he was black.


  • #19
    MmmmmCheese
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 357 ✭✭MmmmmCheese


    DonkeyStyle \o/ wrote: »
    Because they didn't even notice he was black.

    Hmm no the whole thing reeks of racism to me


  • #20
    Mrmoe
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,215 ✭✭✭Mrmoe


    There was no racism in this whatsoever. If they truly were a racist organisation there wouldn't have been a black man in there in the first place even.


  • #21
    Purple Gorilla
    Closed Accounts Posts: 865 ✭✭✭Purple Gorilla


    I don't think it was racist. It's not like Microsoft are like "I don't like black people"
    It's target marketing (as someone said). In Poland, their target market is, wait for it, Polish people. And Poland is quite racist. There's all these superiority issues still ongoing there. If the University of Lublin, a Polish Uni, feels the need to do it, then why target Microsoft as being racist?


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  • #22
    Assmaster_Kronk
    Closed Accounts Posts: 214 ✭✭Assmaster_Kronk


    Had to put this up!


  • #23
    NickNolte
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,259 ✭✭✭NickNolte


    You could easily go for a whole year in any Polish city without seeing a Chinese or Black person... a bit like Ireland 20-odd years ago. So it stands to reason that ethnic minorities aren't going to feature heavily in their advertising. I'm surprised they left the Asian dude in there at all to be honest.


  • #24
    BaZmO*
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,625 ✭✭✭✭BaZmO*


    Which came first though? Was the white dude there first for the the Polish site, and then decided to put in a black dude for the more culturally diverse areas?


  • #25
    In All Fairness
    Closed Accounts Posts: 515 ✭✭✭In All Fairness


    BaZmO* wrote: »
    Which came first though? Was the white dude there first for the the Polish site, and then decided to put in a black dude for the more culturally diverse areas?

    I worked for Microsoft for a few years and I can assure you there was no racism there. If racism produces a more commercially attractive prospect than non-racism then they will be racist.


  • #26
    Owen
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,683 ✭✭✭✭Owen


    FYI, according to Fark, Microsoft have apologised.


  • #27
    BraziliaNZ
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 5,671 ✭✭✭BraziliaNZ


    Poles are racist from my experience, the black guy would probably just anger them


  • #28
    AnonoBoy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 22,559 ✭✭✭✭AnonoBoy


    Couldn't they at least had the white guy looking the same way?

    He's so badly added in it's astonishing.

    That Chewbacca one looks way more realistic.


  • #29
    humanji
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,976 ✭✭✭✭humanji


    AnonoBoy wrote: »
    Couldn't they at least had the white guy looking the same way?

    He's so badly added in it's astonishing.

    That Chewbacca one looks way more realistic.
    That's the thing that I find odd. It was so badly done, it looks like it was done in Paint. I'd say it was someone just fecking around with pictures during a lunch break and nobody noticed until some anal twat decided there needed to be harsher weather in his teacup.


  • #30
    Sage'sMama
    Closed Accounts Posts: 110 ✭✭Sage'sMama


    In fairness he still has a black hand,maybe he's just back from working in the coalmine


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  • #31
    nitrogen
    Closed Accounts Posts: 698 ✭✭✭nitrogen


    Purple Gorilla wrote: »
    It's target marketing (as someone said). In Poland, their target market is, wait for it, Polish people...

    and Asians. Yeah right.


  • #32
    tarbuck
    Closed Accounts Posts: 69 ✭✭tarbuck


    ejmaztec wrote: »
    What they need is a great big melting pot.

    The Nazi's already had a few of them in Poland. Didn't work out too well.


  • #33
    Dragan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,497 ✭✭✭✭Dragan


    I imagine they shopped him out because he is one ugly looking ****er....he actually looks like his belt is on to tight...and it's around his neck.


  • #34
    EvilMonkey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,823 ✭✭✭EvilMonkey


    Why didn't they photoshop out the apple laptop? They removed the logo.


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