Racial stereotypes make marketing messages backfire

Earlier this week in Rochester, N.H., U.S. vice president Joe Biden appeared to mimic a foreign accent while talking about the outsourcing of call center jobs.

“How many times do you get the call,” said Biden, then imitating what many listeners initially assumed to be a subtle Indian accent, “I like to talk to you about your credit card.”

He paused before stating the last two words – possibly remembering that such stereotypes could get him into political trouble – and then resumed his usual manner of speech. New York Magazine suggested the vice president may have actually been imitating a subtle Russian accent, based on his subsequent reference to a Discover Card ad series featuring a less-than-helpful, male Russian call-center worker who claims to be named Peggy (though Biden called him “Nancy”).

Regardless, the incident reminded many of Delaware in 2006 when Biden took some heat for saying, “You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking.”

Biden claimed the quote was taken out of context and was actually part of a larger statement applauding Indian immigration to the United States. However, some voters felt he was negatively stereotyping Indian Americans, and their outrage reminds us of the dangers that come with the appearance of racial stereotypes.

Racial stereotyping – or its mere appearance – is not only dangerous for politicians, but also for marketers. Australia’s Advertising Standards Bureau banned television commercials by Energy Watch, as the ads used the local stereotype of a door-to-door salesman with a thick Indian accent to promote its energy price comparison services.

Italy’s high-speed rail line, Trenitalia, encountered similar trouble this year when it announced that it would expand its seating classes from two to four: Executive, Premium, Business and Standard. The company was accused of racism for showing, in online campaign images, only white passengers in the top three classes and an Asian family in the lowest class.

Particularly since Standard passengers are not allowed to enter the more expensive cars, some customers felt Trenitalia was stereotyping certain ethnic groups as lower class. The rail company insists it intended nothing of the sort, but its statement alone was not enough to stem the fallout of public perception.