Disgust - The Reform party Racist Sarah Pochlin

Bukkie

In real life we know 2 mixed race couples but on adverts EVERY couple are mixed race. I understand we live in a small predominantly white village in Yorkshire and that everyone's experience is different. She wasn't racist she was just stating a fact. This forced positive discrimination is doing more harm than good. If the adverts were more realistic this conversation wouldn't have happened.

You are right. She was just stating a fact.

No, her comment was racist because of who she is and what she represents. As an elected member of parliament she is in a position of power and has been elected to represent everyone in her constituency including people of colour. She's shown herself to be prejudiced and prejudice plus power equals racism.

Skydancer

Bukkie

In real life we know 2 mixed race couples but on adverts EVERY couple are mixed race. I understand we live in a small predominantly white village in Yorkshire and that everyone's experience is different. She wasn't racist she was just stating a fact. This forced positive discrimination is doing more harm than good. If the adverts were more realistic this conversation wouldn't have happened.

You are right. She was just stating a fact.

Yes. Also making an observation, like we all do.

We all want our ethnicity to be preserved and respected whatever our skin colour.

foxie48

No, her comment was racist because of who she is and what she represents. As an elected member of parliament she is in a position of power and has been elected to represent everyone in her constituency including people of colour. She's shown herself to be prejudiced and prejudice plus power equals racism.

Only a prejudice against a tick box exercise by companies making tv ads for products using a disproportionate number of black and Asian actors. People had already noticed this and commented to each other in RL.
The problem is that the companies are falling over themselves to copy each other and this has now become very obvious.
I think it does no service to black and Asian people in our country that it has been noticed and if companies had any sense they would row back a bit on it, just a bit doesn’t need much.

vegansrock

It makes me mad to see Reform MPs on TV so much when they are less than 1% of MPs…..

But they are topping all of the polls and are very likely to get far more seats at the next election

Oreo "people" can comment as much as they like but "people" in positions of power have to be mindful of how they express themselves publicly and IMO she wasn't. Even Farage tried to get her off the hook by saying she "didn't mean to be racist" therefore tacitly agreeing that what she had said was wrong and he said he didn't like what she said.

Maybe they are topping the polls because of their constant exposure. Reform MPs are definitely over represented in the media.

So, why did she have to apologise?

vegansrock

Maybe they are topping the polls because of their constant exposure. Reform MPs are definitely over represented in the media.

So pot, kettle, black then?

Reform is over represented in the media?
Gosh, so it is.
Reform doesn't reflect the actual reality of how things are in Parliament?
And yet, Reform folk are on all the time.
I thought we didn't approve of that.
We want an accurate reflection of reality.
Where is the outrage????

Maremia
X post 😂

So, is it wrong to allegedly over represent people of colour in adverts, which we mostly all skip past,
but okay to over represent Reform politicians, in serious, well watched TV programmes?

But do potential Reform voters, who think that the country is over run with foreigners, skip past the adverts? I think it just reinforces the message that Reform are trying to put out, even though it’s not true.

I see it as it looks like all families are mixed race which isn't true, I think that's what she meant although she made a complete mess of saying it..

I think she just blurted out her true feelings on other ethnicities ( in the way that Farages mr nice guy persona slips occasionally).

Those who swear it isn’t racist can say so all they like but I will swear it is.
And on that note I will agree to disagree.

Quote from Facebook,
'Her ignorance of the industry she criticised could not be plainer. Advertising is a data-led profession built on measurement, testing and psychology. Agencies invest millions to understand who their audiences are and how best to reach them. When they feature people from a range of backgrounds, it is because that reflects reality and drives engagement. Britain's population is diverse; modern advertising reflects that.'

Oh well if it's on Facebook it must be true!!!

Of course. Glad you agree.

Is anything in the reported article untrue?

I wonder if Pochin understands business or wants to promote it. Her argument about advertising, suggesting brand promotion is a DEI initative is ludicrous. Businesses and advertising agencies will have done their market research using companies such as Nielsen and testing on focus groups.

Did anyone used to watch Madmen, the USA drama series about a Madison Avenue, New York advertising agency? The storyboard ideas that an ad agency comes up with have to sit well with the directors of a business and appeal to its customers.

If a brand doesnt see an increase in turnover as a result of an expensive ad campaign they are likely to take their media budget elsewhere next time.

In response to the prolonged cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover, putting tens of thousands of jobs at JLR and in the supply chain ar risk, Farage said they deserved to go under. Why? Becasue he didn't like their latest ad as he deemed it woke.

Even Gen Z hate the new 'woke' Jaguar!" declared the Daily Mail. "Mark my words, Jaguar will go bust," Reform Party leader Nigel Farage predicted on X.

But the former Top Gear presenter James May told the BBC that the fact the ad was being talked about so widely has "got to be a bit of a result for Jaguar, hasn't it"?

Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover also hit back, insisting the company needed to be "bold and disruptive" in order to get its message across.

Reform MPs don’t seem to have the abiity to think beyond their own petty prejudices.

The article is correct that advertising agencies choose their models for TV
commercials based on market research, and relatability to their target audience.
I think in recent years, the Christmas adverts, however, have fallen over themselves a bit too much to use black and Asian families in their videos. I'm not sure that half these people in the ads actually enjoy sprouts and stuffing over their own ethnic foods! Or follow our childhood Christmas traditions from years back when. Waitrose certainly tried too hard with theirs.
And that's what I have a bit of a problem with. It's back to being contrived.

On the other hand, I remember the Boots adverts and maybe the Amazon ones being very authentic using black models.

But some Asian families do celebrate Christmas in a secular way, because their children don't want to be left out of the fun - we knew people who did just that. They ran the local corner shop.

I've just listened to an interesting discussion on the Media Show (Radio 4). Showing diversity in TV ads works for companies, increases their profits and raises the profile of their businesses.