Social media reacts to ‘racist’ Heineken ad

Last week, Heineken released an advertisement for the new Heineken Light beer.

The ad sees a bartender sliding a bottle of Heineken Light across the bar towards a dissatisfied customer. The bottle passes a few dark-skinned people before reaching the white woman who is speaking to a group of white men. The ad used the tagline “sometimes lighter is better”, Alberton Record explains.

READ MORE: Protests in Johannesburg over ‘racist’ H&M ad

Grammy-award-winning musician Chance the Rapper took to his Twitter page to condemn the ad as racist, which spiralled into a trending topic.

Some people sided with Chance, while others called it a reach. It eventually led to Heineken removing the ad and apologising in a statement.

“For decades, Heineken has developed diverse marketing that shows there’s more that unites us than divides us,” Heineken USA stated. “While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer—we missed the mark, are taking the feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns.”

Chance then clarified that he was not calling for a boycott, but was merely bringing attention to the issue.

Here is how people have reacted to Chance’s take on the advertisement:

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