Ikea slammed for using Mafia stereotypes in advert
April 18th, 2011 - 6:35 pm ICT by ANILondon, April 18 (ANI): International home products company Ikea has been accused of using offensive Mafia cultural stereotypes in an advertisement to promote its new kitchen range.
The advertisement titled Very Good Fellas, shown on television and the internet, features gangster-like figures who speak with Sicilian and Neapolitan accents as they dispose of a suspiciously large and heavy black bag of refuse, reports the Telegraph.
It turns out that the apparent Mafiosi are simply a group of ecologically conscious friends gathering for dinner, whose conduct bears out the slogan: “Behaving well in an Ikea kitchen comes more naturally.”
The advertising campaign started at the beginning of April and has already sparked widespread indignation among people in the south of Italy who claim they are being stereotyped.
Ikea Marketing Manager Fabrizio Concas said he was surprised by the reaction and “wanted to apologise to all southerners who have felt offended by our advertisement”. (ANI)
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