In this day and age, you might think that a message promoting unity would be well received, right?
Well, the thing is, it has to be actionable.
What is the message doing to actually bring people together? Is the company donating to charities that would benefit struggling groups? Or is it just a message for the sake of patting themselves on the back?
With Cadbury, it seems to be the latter.
Cadbury released an advertisement promoting a chocolate bar that brought together four types of chocolate in one bar:
The bar, released to promote India's Independence Day, blends dark chocolate, blended chocolate, milk chocolate, and white chocolate into one bar.
Its limited release seems like a good gesture in theory, but really, is it enough?
A significant portion of the internet have raised eyebrows.
Also, there is another simple question: why is the bar segregated?
Among the bar's critics is self-described "ex-teen heartthrob" Devon Sawa, best known for his roles in Final Destination and Casper, The Friendly Ghost.
Sawa tweeted:
What a brilliant business plan!
While Cadbury's message was supposedly made to address colorism and the caste system (which divides society into four main categories—just like the bar divides its chocolate into four categories), the message did not come through in such a way that made sense to consumers.
Better thoughts next time, Cadbury. Until then, Kendall Jenner and Pepsi can commiserate.
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