Controversial Roots advertisement
To commemorate Canada's 150th, the apparel company, Roots, released a commercial that many on social media are calling tone deaf. Concordia experts are available to comment on why brands play on people's emotions and why the commercial is so problematic.
Harold Simpkins, lecturer in the Department of Marketing, says: "With so many identical products out there – beer and soft drinks are examples – it’s almost impossible for marketers to differentiate their brands based on their product’s benefits. So appealing to their target markets’ emotions is one way to make their products stand out and be more attractive than their competitors’ offerings. Tying in with social justice movements is one way to achieve this."
"I haven’t ever seen a company use the most deadly genocide of the late 20th century to market its products," says Kyle Matthews, executive director of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. "It is even more bizarre that it is wrapped up in Canadian nationalism and our 150th anniversary. While it is productive to celebrate how nice Canadians are, our engagement in UN peacekeeping has always been based on maintaining global peace and security.”
“What most people don’t understand is that Indigenous peoples do not want to tell others that they don’t have a right to celebrate their cultures and histories," says Elizabeth Fast, assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences. "The celebration of 'Canada’s birthday', for us, also means the taking of lands to make room for settlers, Residential schools, the Indian Act, being forced to live in remote areas with no access to economic opportunities and the denial of our much longer-standing cultures and histories in this land that is called Canada”.
Harold Simpkins, lecturer, Department of Marketing
hsimpkins@jmsb.concordia.ca
514-848-2424, ext. 2955
Kyle Matthews, executive director, Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies
Kyle.Matthews@concordia.ca
514-848-2424, ext. 5729
Elizabeth Fast, assistant professor, Department of Applied Human Sciences
Elizabeth.Fast@concordia.ca
514-848-2424, ext. 3238 or 4875