Walmart Publishes BBQ Grill Advertisement With Sushi Rolls On It
Japanese food lovers typically enjoy eating their sushi rolls filled with raw foods. Hence, it may be shocking to see an image of sushi rolls on a barbecue grill – to have them grilled.
Regrettably, Walmart may have landed themselves in hot soup after publishing an advertisement that featured rows of sushi rolls on their electric grill product.
The advertisement by the American retail company was later screenshotted and uploaded on subtle asian traits Facebook group by user Tiffany Yáng.
While the post has since been removed at the time of writing, many took to Ms Yáng’s post to call out the company’s cultural insensitivity.
Walmart displays sushi rolls on 2-in-1 electric grill
On Wednesday (23 Feb), Facebook user Tiffany Yáng posted a photo of an Instagram advertisement by Walmart.
The sponsored post showcased an electric grill with 2 separating sections for both a hot pot and barbecue.
However, what caught the eye of many were the rows of sushi rolls laid on top of the barbecue grill.
This was particularly bizarre as sushi is usually enjoyed as its prepared, with most ingredients left raw.
Certain variations do involve a form of grilling and even so, chefs would use blowtorches to lightly sear the meats instead of cooking them on a grill.
Asians express disapproval
After the post went viral, many Facebook users could not believe that this advertisement was o-fish-ial.
They agreed with Ms Yáng’s suggestion for the company to have extra pairs of Asian eyes in their marketing department.
One netizen who claimed to be a graphic designer of Asian descent said the post hurt their eyes.
Another Facebook user added that they felt ‘so disgusted’ as a Japanese.
One netizen suggested that the marketing team did a sloppy job of deciding which Asian foods they were planning to grill on the appliance, insinuating that they did not carry out enough research beforehand.
In other words, the company’s mistake has caused mayhem among the online community in the group.
Be sensitive & considerate towards cultural traditions
As Asians ourselves, seeing parts of our culture haphazardly thrown together as marketing material can grind some gears.
As for advice for anyone in the advertising scene, we should always practise mindfulness and be sensitive to one’s culture.
Plus, it’s harmless to carry out adequate research before taking the next step of publishing.
Let’s always practise cultural sensitivity and act appropriately.
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Featured image adapted from Mike Mozart on Flickr & subtle asian traits on Facebook.
