It appears that White Power and White Powder do not mix. The UK Krispy Kreme branch has made a hasty retreat from its promotion for a new event: KKK Wednesday. No, the donut chain insists that it was not trying to get a neo-Nazi niche market. It was supposed to stand for Krispy Kreme Klub. The news will likely be a disappointed for all of those rotund Ku Klux Klan members seeking a donut with just the right white glaze and segregated flavors. A company spokeswoman has apologized “unreservedly for the inappropriate name of a customer promotion at one of our stores.”
The cancellation will at least avoid issues with those mixed donut types like the Chocolate Glazed donuts that would drive your average Klan member into a fit of racial disgust.
The event was actually designed to draw kids into their stores during Britain’s half-term when students have a holiday the middle of each three terms. The other events seem less . . . well . . . divisive: Funday Monday, Coloring Tuesday, Face Painting Thursday, Balloon Madness and Board Games Galore.
Just as warning, the chain may want to cancel any plans for a Coffee Klux event.
Trooper, the KKK donuts are a favorite among lawn boys.
The KKK donuts would sell really well in Madison, Wisconsin which is a hot bed of antisemitism and racism despite it so called liberal leanings.
Maybe they should the promotion there.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/madison-police-investigate-anti-semitic-vandalism-spree-b99446228z1-292119451.html
Groty,
I agree this is small beans and no reason to bring out the long knives.
But… (and there is always a big but)…
Any company with national or international branches has to teach local managers and line staff that they are in fact corporate representatives at the local level.
They are the face of the company.
Consequently, the local workers need to be very careful about everything they do.
Tiny issues get blown way out of proportion, exactly as occurred here.
A simple question to ask about any planned marketing, even if meant to be only local, is to read text in the worst possible light.
Assume it will be misread.
If so, how will it be misread, and thus should you go ahead anyway?
It is quite forgivable for a young person not to know about the KKK ( and actually a good sign).
However, it is terrible training or rank stupidity not to be aware that you are a corporate representative, which means even the simplest vetting (i.e., Google) should occur for even the most local of franchise marketing.
My opinion.
Pogo: It’s not like this was a high priced Madison Avenue-like corporate marketing campaign across all of Britain. It was one day’s promotion of a week long promotional event at a local store targeting local school kids. Why would he even think to Google it?
Abercrombie & Fitch:
http://i.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/article/8/1/8/155818.jpg?v=2
Sony’s White PSP vs Black PSP Ad 2006:
http://grasshopper.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Sony-PSP-300×238.jpg
What the heck???? This must have gotten the approval of so many levels of management, it boggles the mind how this campaign got this far.
Not quite right:
http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/4d63cffa49e2ae806a150000-1200/store-testing-coffee-whats-this-woman-doing-to-the-lipstick.jpg
This one was pretty bad:
http://static3.businessinsider.com/image/4d63cfb949e2ae646a050000-1200/mcdonalds-said-they-would-hit-it.jpg
The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray. Bobby Burns.
This reminds me of the sea food campaign with the bumper stickers “If it smells like fish, eat it!”
Groty, yes, an over-reaction.
But this is the result of ignorance.
Local managers represent the entire business, so their actions reflect on the brand.
Journalists and advertising people know they should at least minimally vet things like this.
Google search “KKK”: About 68,300,000 results (0.22 seconds)
Now Krispy Kreme is near the top, with the Klan.
Joe Blow’s Donut Hut doesn’t need to vet, but Krispy Kreme’s does.
If I read the article correctly, it was a one day promotion. The British manager of the store obviously did not understand the cultural significance of “KKK”. He figured it was a clever way to misspell the word “club” using a “k” instead of a “c” in the same way the company substitutes “k”s for “c”s in its name. It’s crazy to think a business would intend to offend anyone in naming a one day promotional campaign.
But even a one day promotion that unknowingly offends the intolerant, hyper sensitive, perpetually outraged online progressive mob must not go unaddressed.
So Krispy Kreme is forced to “apologize unreservedly” and is conducting an investigation – essentially begging for forgiveness from the progressive mob.
I’m shocked the manager wasn’t fired. They typically aren’t happy unless they at least try to ruin an offender financially.
@Al, that’s the funniest one I’ve heard all day!
Even if you’d never heard of the Klan, how hard is it to Google “KKK”?
Modern students don’t study history, just activism and postmodernism.
By that I mean they are ignorant an unteachable.
Chip, LOL! An inside Boston joke.
This is what happens when a nation of special snowflakes expects other countries to understand our sensibilities.
You want Arbie’s macht fries with that?
Marketing majors.
Coming soon: Kleagle Seafoods.
Dynamite advertising angle, right in there with the formula of the more aggravating it is the higher probability it will stick in the sub conscious. In the end it is all about marketing. It’s the same as ISIS getting thousands of nut cases to go fight in Syria and Iraq. They wouldn’t go if it was just for sunday school. Ya gots ta touch the right nerve.