Racism or marketing tactic?
Universal is facing a potential PR mess for its decision to digitally remove the names and images of the only black couple in
'Couples Retreat' on the film's UK movie poster.
According to England's
The Daily Mail, a Universal spokesman said the updated ad was released "to simplify the poster to actors who are most recognizable in international markets."
But some are calling foul on the complete removal of actors
Kali Hawk and
Faizon Love from the film's poster. "I think this was an ill-conceived move," Mediawatch-UK director Vivienne Pattison told the Mail. "We celebrate diversity in Britain and we could have coped with seeing the same poster used in America."
In the U.S. version (above, left), all eight principal stars, including Hawk and Love, are seen standing knee-deep in water with their names displayed above. For the UK version (above, right), a different backdrop is shown with only the six (white) actors and actresses on display.
"Any discrepancy between the posters is cause for alarm because it makes racist assumptions about target markets," says Ann Simonton, founder of the non-profit organization Media Watch. "But this is a somewhat common response to how advertisers target audiences. So much of advertising depends on our ignorance and it's important for the consumer to remain ignorant. When they eliminate diversity, it maintains this false view of our world. It's sickening to think about what the industry's motives are, but it's important that they be called on it."
Daily Mail film critic Jason Solomons weighed in over the weekend, noting, "We don't cater much for the black cinema-going audience in this country, which is a great shame, so it seems strange that when there are black stars in a major feature film, this fact isn't promoted. And, in terms of business decisions, this seems a pretty counter-productive one."
For its part, Universal has acknowledged the omission, saying it regretted offending anyone and is abandoning plans to use the revised poster in other countries.
But you have to wonder: If they regretted offending anyone, why would they alter the poster in the first place?
It's not uncommon for movie studios to alter promotional materials of U.S. movies for foreign markets. Of course, the title and tagline often is changed to reflect the respective country's language (sometimes
to detrimental effect). But as opposed to clarifying the meaning and story of the movie, deleting any mention of Love and Hawk from the film's advertising is, at the very least, a highly bizarre decision. It's hard to imagine Brits staring at a poster with a black couple, scratching their heads and thinking, "How did
they get on the island?"
More puzzling is how Universal, if the decision was in fact a conscious one to increase sales of the film, thought this would be a positive to the overall response of the movie. Surely there must have been one person who knew they would get called out on this, right? The studio's decision may have stemmed from the fact that black actors and actresses historically have had a tougher time appealing to foreign audiences than domestic ones. But the cost/benefit of adding the grosses of the minute moviegoer demographic who won't see films with minorities in it hardly seems like a justification for an avalanche of bad PR and continued fostering that "minority" = "doesn't sell." (Incidentally,
'Slumdog Millionaire' was the third highest-grossing film in the UK this year).
Playing angel's advocate, let's go with the studio's "recognizable" argument for a second. As
Gawker astutely points out in the "Not Racist" section of their
"Is It Racist?" post, "Who has ever heard of Faizon Love (maybe best-known for his turn as Big Large in 2007's
'Who's Your Caddy') or Kali Hawk (Popcorn Girl (uncredited) in
'Celebrity')?" They're not known stars stateside, yet still made the final cut of the U.S. poster. Why should things be any different internationally?
To be fair, this practice of photoshopping out, and adding in, minorities is hardly an uncommon one. In August, Microsoft had to
publicly apologize for its decision to replace the head of a black actor with that of a white man on the website of its Polish business unit (though strangely leaving in the original actor's hand.)
One website even devoted a page to the practice.
It's more likely that the decision was made in an effort to increase grosses rather than out of a discriminatory maliciousness and inherent hatred of minorities. The studio's decision to cut out Love and Hawk seems mostly based on one color: green.
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Reader Comments (471)
Lindsay at 8:03PM on Nov 16th 2009
I dont understand why this is causing such a huge fuss
understand at 8:22PM on Nov 16th 2009
well of course not your not an african american in the united states, lets just remove the only black people from the advertisement to please the UK folks, please its racists !
dandan at 8:24PM on Nov 16th 2009
hi ms lindsay, usually things like this are very common black folks being erased or not spot lighted in movies or even in the credits. yeah they still gone get PAID but the article says that they aren't really known (THATS A LIE) well don't mf's think that maybe this would let folks know about them or were the chocolate lovers not good enough for them over there ? have known about Mr. Faison for well over 13 yrs. some races don't pay attention as usual example Taraji P Henson was discovered long b4 the curious case of benjamin buttons but still and yet people keep saying new discovery!
Rodney at 8:55PM on Nov 16th 2009
Hi Lindsay since you do not think anything is wrong imagine your workplace has only black people. Also imagine your apt building, neighborhood or everywhere you go is now all black and then say you don't see anything wrong. You are exactly what's wrong with america. You don't see anything wrong until it impacts you or yours!
kc at 9:31PM on Nov 16th 2009
Wait, isn't the UK where all the young American's want to go because there is no racism or haters? HUM, the grass is always greener on the other side.
chocolate at 9:11PM on Nov 16th 2009
Probably because you're not black.
KCq at 9:32PM on Nov 16th 2009
My husband is black, and believe me he is happy they took the black people off the poster because the movie is that bad. Why would you want to be affiliated with this trash. Blk folk should be thrilled they aren't represented on this poster. Ever think about that?
watdafuk at 9:47PM on Nov 16th 2009
Of corse not, they don`t think they just start crying and pull out the card.
Lilian at 9:47PM on Nov 16th 2009
let me guess, you're white........maybe that's why u don't get it. And no, I'm not African American.
Anthony at 12:52AM on Nov 17th 2009
Lindsay,
You are absolutely correct; there is nothing wrong with this. The problem in this country is the racist ass black people in this country who just go around looking for something to raise a fuss about. You never hear any white people raising hell cause some poster or TV show or something else has all black people and no white people, but god forbid we have any of these things that don’t have someone black in them, I mean we would just hate for their race to feel left out. They commonly get erased from stuff, because there not the main players, it would be like announcing the towel boy for each NFL team at every game with the starters. Now if they cut someone like Will Smith, Samuel L Jackson, or so one like that from the credits, you could throw the racist flag on that play. And Rodney you can get the hell up off Lindsay cause your analogy isn’t even close to reality. I have traveled all over the country and only one other place is worse about so many black people being in one spot than where I am from and that was Atlanta. It’s not one black person among all us white folk, matter of fact the last time I looked the percentage of whites and blacks in this country was getting fairly close to even. If you wanted your analogy to be correct you should say, imagine that 40% of you workplace is white, 45% is black, and 15% are of other nationality and then see how you feel. And I bet you that 45% still raises the most hell cause out of all the people I have ever met no one is more racist that black people and no one raises more hell than them. So the problem with this country isn’t with people like Lindsay, it’s with people you are too pussyfied to stand up for themselves and defend themselves, cause they’re too afraid of hurting someone’s feelings or being politically incorrect. It’s the people who want to take away the guns from people who just want to protect themselves and their families and yet let criminals walk the streets with sub-machine guns. Its political correctness and enacting bullshit without researching all the effects of that enactment that are driving this country straight to hell.
tonino63 at 12:11AM on Nov 17th 2009
I don't either. Maybe it's true what they say they only put the ones that people recognize, but someone had to make a bid deal about it! They make the same money they did in or out of the picture, they were treated fairly in their working conditions and they are in the movie, not cut out! Yet someone had to find another reason to make it a racist issue! I'm sick of it! What about reverse discrimination! My children get less grant than those of minority status NO MATTER WHICH minority status so don't get all up in your koolaid about the comment! We get less assistance when needed, we can not have a "United White Fund" or Oh my God the sky would fall, we can't call others the same name they call themselves as a friend or we are inhumane, we have no one that runs to our defense or our childrens when they are treated unfairly in any environment. The sad part is that the great grandparents, grandparents and quite possibly even parents of these complainers are the ones that should have benefited from this. Not these that scream the loudest, turn everything into an issue! It was the people they descended from that suffered injustice not these punks that sit on their but and invent issues where there are none! Not everything is about you!
Shawn at 11:49PM on Nov 16th 2009
This is ridiculous...I'm black and not offended by this at all! They removed the people who were the least recognizable from the poster.
bjh at 11:48PM on Nov 16th 2009
Lindsay: it would have to happen to your people over a period of decades...that, and a ton of bricks to hit you in order for you to "get it".
Nadirah Amir at 11:35PM on Nov 16th 2009
Well,it's pretty obvious why "this is making such a fuss",u don't have to be a black person to get it all u have to be is human. If u really dont kno why this issue is making a little fuss then u probably shouldnt even be allowed net access, then again..if u really didnt know why i doubt u would comment about it maybe u just need attetion. Anyway just incase u actually dont have a clue, i feel sorry for u :)
PinkThenRed at 12:31AM on Nov 17th 2009
The two deleted weren't good looking. There are many good looking Asians and African Americans, but these two aren't such an example.
Craig Elliott at 12:14AM on Nov 17th 2009
Thats the problem in itself Lindsay. That fact that you DONT see a clear problem with this. All too often White Privilege has blinded blatant offenses towards different cultures. Racist or not publicity in a major film speaks volumes to the career of an actor especially a black actor and even more so in an international arena where your already NOT considered or recognized. You dont see a problem because you ARE the PROBLEM.
deicer at 12:23AM on Nov 17th 2009
You must be white???
Ali at 12:24AM on Nov 17th 2009
To BJH
Really, has "it " been happening to your ppl for decades?? That is crazy. We all live in the same world with the same problems. I have many black american friends ( why did I not call them Africian Americans? b/c they do not consider themselves that, they were bornin America, their parents and grandpaents were born in America. get the idea?)
Racism can not end until BOTH sides stop
The name hatred and as ppl on here put it 'playing the card".
shadae lee at 9:25AM on Nov 17th 2009
ok , Lindsey thinkabout it this way . What if this was a movie poster that was mainly filled with all african american actors and only two white actors. But then all of a sudden the two white actors were photoshop out of the poster , in order to appeal to a different audience. How , would this make you feel. The big picture here with this poster edit and many other like it is that there is still some form of racism out there and that the idea of african americans being un marketable is still alive. Even though some may see that the only two african americans in the film are unknown , they still won their roles and add to the movie and there for they should have never been cut out the poster at all , because they have some importance in this film just like anyone else . POINT BLANK PERIOD. :)
Rashard at 12:57AM on Nov 17th 2009
Like others I don't really see why this is a big deal. I AM half African-American & half Filipino. For me color shouldn't matter in any situation. People who point things out like this and get mad are probably racist or a closet racist themselves. Those are the same people who keep racism alive and not try to remove it for the next generation.