The Huffington Post explains that as a campaign slogan, telling tourists to see Asia like Asians do is a great one because it implies visiting the continent and learning about it as a local rather than a visitor. This is likely what Tobasco, a Ukrainian ad agency, had in mind when they created the tagline.
In an advertisment for the Ukrainian travel agency named Multipass, however, the phrase may have been taken too literally. The ad is written in such a way that people can only read it easily when they pull back the corner of their eyes and eliminated their eyelid folds. This is, literally, seeing "as an Asian."
As Ad Lover shows, the comopany wanted an ad that would "promote travel agency, especially its Asian destinations, including exclusive ethnic tours."
Indeed, this is not the first campaign that is -- perhaps unintentionally -- racist. The website AdSavey has a countdown of 25 other campaigns that are equally insensative. Moreover, Buzzfeed has a collection of 30 more racist ads from years past.
Yet such stereotyping in advertisements is not just from days gone by. Earlier this year, in fact, PopChips pulled an Ashton Kutcher commercial for their product after the actor's brown face and singsong Indian accent lead to its being deemed racist. Furthermore, ads in Minnesota that are specifically designed to speak out against racism are being criticised as racist.
Opinions on both the Minnesota ads and the "See Asia Like Asians Do" campaign are mixed. Some consider the ads funny and attention grabbing, while others view them as disrespectful.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
