Moving On Up

As reported in today's New York Times, Uncle Ben has been promoted. No longer just a servant/butler with creepy racist overtones, Ben is now chairman of the board with creepy racist overtones. In this new campaign by TBWA/Chiat/Day, Ben shares his nuggets of wisdom (the stereotypical role of old black folks, after all). In the ad here, Ben tells us that perfection cannot be attained, but that's no reason to stop trying. The ad copy next to the box goes on to explain that Uncle Ben's rice is indeed perfect, which tells me Ben's platitudes must get a lot of eye rolls around the old boardroom table. If this ad had been created in 1955, perhaps it would have been revolutionary. In this day and age, are we supposed to be impressed that a black man is chairman of his own company? Are we to believe that a successful businessman would have "From the Desk of Uncle Ben" printed on his personal journal? Ben seems to be an aloof figurehead working for The Man, just like he was in the 1940s. Instead of pumping more life into this racially charged icon, why not dump it altogether? The Uncle Ben's brand is surely strong enough to survive a rebranding without the logo. Then, perhaps, they could focus on the benefits of the rice and why I should buy it. If you ask me, this campaign is a mess. As always, though, I'd be interested to know what you think.