BMW Advert - How advertising language shapes our identity and culture

Published Jan 13, 2023, 10:34 AM

A controversial BMW ad campaign has sparked a racism uproar on social media. In the printed billboard which has received thousands of mixed responses, the words “We are our ancestors’ wildest dreams” are emboldened with a black woman posing in front of a new BMW. However, the word ancestors was struck through, which is what has triggered the racism debate. The word is one that has been associated with the spiritual and traditional beliefs of black people. While many have pointed out that BMW was referring to their past models that sparked the latest design, others seem to think the decision to scratch through ancestors has hidden racist meaning. Many wanted to know whether the ad agency who approved the ad campaign was aware of just how deeply offensive the advert is. BMW has since apologised for the confusion the advert caused.

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POWER Talk is a mid-morning talk show programme, hosted by Lerato Mbele. The show delves deeper into 
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