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Ethical Scenario: Heineken ‘Lighter is Better’

Jillian Youker

Grand Valley State University


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Introduction

The beer brand Heineken has promised their consumers they care about quality,

enjoyment of life, respect for people and for our planet. The Heineken company, founded in

1864 in the Netherlands, is currently available in two hundred countries worldwide. Heineken

jump started a “Enjoy Heineken Responsibly” campaign encouraging their consumers to never

drink and drive and to try their 0.0% alcoholic beverage. This gives those who enjoy the great

beer taste without the high alcohol content and intoxication. The reasoning behind this to cater to

those who enjoy drinking but are driving or those dealing with addiction but still want to feel

included.

Although Heineken encourages responsible drinking habits and claims to have respect for

others, there was a moment when they missed the mark and failed the public to their brand

promise. In 2017, Heineken released a commercial for their ‘Lighter is Better’ campaign. The

commercial featured a beer sliding down a bar table that passes by three different people whom

have darker colored skin. At the end of the advertisement, the camera pans to a woman who has

lighter skin grabbing the beer and the slogan “Lighter is Better” appearing on the screen at the

end. This commercial was immediately pulled off air and caused a large amount of controversy

for their racial equality incompetence. Social media exploded with people demanding the

commercial to be removed and was even called out by a well-known artist, Chance the Rapper,

on twitter who brought this commercial to his follower’s attention.

Ethical Issues and Conflicts

To be ethical means to follow values that are fair, truthful and morally correct. The first

ethical issue with Heineken’s slogan and the commercial itself is that it clearly displays racist

rhetoric. The blatant verbiage of the slogan is that it puts an image in the mind of the consumers
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immediately. The idea of light is better leaves the consumer to reflect on their own racial bias or

code of ethics. One consumer may consider this advertisement entirely acceptable when another

sees it as blatant racism. After the video was released, Chance the Rapper was not one to shy

away from his criticism of the advertisement. In a New York Times article written by Niraj

Chokshi, Chance tweeted calling the advertisement obviously racist and stating “I think some

companies are purposely putting out noticeably racist ads so they can get more views” (Chokshi,

2018). Along the same vein as Chance’s criticism, all advertisers choose particular people and

demographics for their advertisements. In addition to the slogan, the advertisement itself is

unethical and racist because of subject matter and focus of the commercial. It is perceived to

show how lighter is thought to be better and more superior when in reality it comes off as

discriminatory, racist and unethical.

Internal and External Factors

Internal Factors:

Brand Recognition: Heinekens initial goal was to create a memorable commercial that

highlights how their product is different than other brands. Although the creative team wanted to

create this type of ad, it fell short of the expectations and was remembered for the wrong reasons.

Increase Revenue: One of the main reasons any brand advertises is to increase revenue.

Heineken was promoting their light version of their already popular brand. The true intent in the

minds of the creative team may never be known. Relating back to Chance the Rappers claim, on

thought would be that the advertising team purposely created this advertisement to gain attention

and publicity on purpose.

External Factors:
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Competition: In order for Heineken to stand out from their main competitors, the

advertisements had to be different. To help Heineken stand out against their competitors such as

Bud Light, Miller Lite, Coors Light, Amstel Light and Michelob Ultra just to name a few, to

stand out the idea was to show Heineken Light as a superior option to a dark heavy beer. When

in reality it came across as offensive and the viewer did not take away the intent of the ad.

Social and Cultural Influences: Because of the out pouring of criticism on social media,

this was one of the main reasons for the advertisement to be taken off the air. Cultural factors

played a major role in how the public perceived the ad because an entire culture was stigmatized

and misrepresented.

Key Values that Apply

Independence: According to PRSA, the independence value focuses on be accountable

for their actions. Providing objective counsel to those who are being represented (PRSA, n.d). It

is important for brands to take responsibility when a crisis arises. After Heineken removed their

advertisements their statement about the controversy was “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” (French, 2018). The brand was able to quickly respond to the

remakes instead of ignoring them.

Fairness: Fairness is the idea that a company must respect the opinions of the public and

how they have the right of free speech. This aims towards the clients, employees, competitors,

peers, and the media (PRSA, n.d). This relates to the Heineken scenario because when Chance

the Rapper become involved, he had the right to call out the brand. In addition, Heineken was not

fair to all of their consumers, specifically darker skin patrons who enjoy the brand. By coming

out and apologizing they acknowledged their mistake even though the damage was already done.
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Honesty: Honesty is the idea a brand must promote accuracy and truth to make their

brand reputation credible (PRSA, n.d). Although Heineken’s brand is strong in the marketplace,

they owe it to the consumer to provide honest and ethical advertisements. The use of the “Lighter

is Better” campaign was not an honest reflection of their mission statement.

Publics Affected by Decisions

Loyal Heineken Consumers: The company/brand of Heineken promises respect, quality

and enjoyment to their consumers. This specific group would be affected by the controversial

advertisement because it does not portray a respectful image of the consumers. This group is able

to choose to continue to drink Heineken or find an alternative brand. Depending on how this

controversy affects the consumer personally will determine their choices.

People of Color: Currently there are many groups of people who deal with

discrimination and racism on a daily basis. This specific group would fit into the public that is

affected because the Heineken commercial is disrespectful to people of color. Because of this

advertisement people of color may choose to discontinue drinking Heineken or never choose the

brand in the first place. The negative perception of the brand may last much longer in influencing

potential future customers.

Heineken Stock Shareholders: Because the advertisement was pulled and the

subsequent negative publicity surrounding the ad, those who have stock in the company saw a

decrease in their shares value.

Ethical Principles that Apply

Harm Principle: The intent of the slogan and the commercial is in conflict of the harm

principle because the brands actions caused harm and was offensive to an entire race. Even
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though the right of free speech exists, it is important to not cause harm or greatly offend certain

viewers.

Moral Climate: It is important for a company to be perceived as giving the consumer

what they want. Considering the polarization that currently exists in our country today, an

advertisement that portrays exclusivity instead of inclusivity only perpetuates the lack of moral

climate.

Recommendation

The decision to pull the commercial off air, in my opinion, was appropriate. The apology

could have gone farther in addressing the enormity of the mistake and more heartfelt to those

who the commercial offended. The damage control and crisis management options would be to

create an alternative advertisement and slogan that is much more encompassing and inclusive to

all races and ethnic backgrounds. An alternative and more appropriate slogan would be “The

Light Side of Great Flavor” this extenuates the full flavor of Heineken in a light beer version.

This changes the intent of the slogan from light versus heavy rather than light versus dark. The

ad could feature many people of all different races and not one is signaled out for any reason or

because they are superior. The reason I chose this specific solution is because admitting the

mistake and openly fixing it to be more inclusive may change the negative image in the minds of

the consumers. This idea would persuade my potential boss or team because it is inclusive,

honest and respectful connecting back to the mission statement of the overall company. This

potential solution could change the views and perceptions of the brand to consumers who

otherwise boycotted because of the original commercial.


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References

Chokshi, N. (2018, March 28). Heineken Pulls 'Lighter Is Better' Ad After Outcry Over Racism.

Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/28/business/media/heineken-racist-

ad.html

French, S. (2018, March 27). Heineken pulls 'Lighter is Better' ad after critics like Chance the

Rapper call it racist. Retrieved from https://www.marketwatch.com/story/heineken-pulls-

lighter-is-better-ad-after-critics-like-chance-the-rapper-call-it-racist-2018-03-27

Heineken® - USA. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.heineken.com/us/we-are-heineken/enjoy-

heineken-responsibly

PRSA Code of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.prsa.org/about/ethics/prsa-code-of-

ethics

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