Energy Watch ad banned for racial stereotyping

An ad for Energy Watch has been banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau for racially stereotyping Indian people as “door knockers”.

http://youtu.be/5uXSe617lmA

The ASB ruled that the depiction of the door to door salesman as an Indian man with a strong accent perpetuates a negative stereotype, and the suggestion that the Indian man may not be honest is also offensive.

A complaint from an Australian of Indian descent read: “I find the ad racist and given that there are hardly any Indians or Asians in ads on Australian TV it merely is pandering to a stereotypical depiction of my heritage.”

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