Rap Cat Controversy
The fast food chain "Checkers" has come under fire for its new "Rap Cat" campaign.
The promotional campaign encourages customers to cut holes in their hamburger bag then put their cat inside.
Some think the advertising stunt is anything but funny.
In the Checkers commercial, Rap Cat is a puppet. Now, the burger chain that likes to push its dual-drive-through concept is under fire for special burger bags designed to look like Rap Cat's jersey, complete with a 3-step process to modify the bag so you can force your cat to wear it.
Checkers is asking customers to send in their best shots or videos.
The cat's owners may be laughing, but animal control officials aren't.
"It appears to be an exercise, I'm sorry, in ignorance," says Marti Ryan with Hillsborough Animal Control. He says people who try to follow through with the Checkers promotion could hurt themselves or their cat.
"So if you try to put them in a paper bag and make them dance and take pictures, they're going to exhibit a typical fight or flight response. And if they fight, you're going to get hurt," he says.
A Checkers spokesperson says the Rap Cat bag promo is not intended to hurt animals. Checkers does have a disclaimer on their hamburger bags.
It reads, "Not all cats will be down with wearing this bag. Do not harm or endanger any cat."
Hillsborough Animal Services officials are considering asking a judge to force Checkers to bag the promotion by issuing a temporary injunction.
FULL ARTICLE
Rap Cat Website (Featuring the Meow Meow Rap Song)
The promotional campaign encourages customers to cut holes in their hamburger bag then put their cat inside.
Some think the advertising stunt is anything but funny.
In the Checkers commercial, Rap Cat is a puppet. Now, the burger chain that likes to push its dual-drive-through concept is under fire for special burger bags designed to look like Rap Cat's jersey, complete with a 3-step process to modify the bag so you can force your cat to wear it.Checkers is asking customers to send in their best shots or videos.
The cat's owners may be laughing, but animal control officials aren't.
"It appears to be an exercise, I'm sorry, in ignorance," says Marti Ryan with Hillsborough Animal Control. He says people who try to follow through with the Checkers promotion could hurt themselves or their cat.
"So if you try to put them in a paper bag and make them dance and take pictures, they're going to exhibit a typical fight or flight response. And if they fight, you're going to get hurt," he says.
A Checkers spokesperson says the Rap Cat bag promo is not intended to hurt animals. Checkers does have a disclaimer on their hamburger bags.
It reads, "Not all cats will be down with wearing this bag. Do not harm or endanger any cat."
Hillsborough Animal Services officials are considering asking a judge to force Checkers to bag the promotion by issuing a temporary injunction.
FULL ARTICLE
Rap Cat Website (Featuring the Meow Meow Rap Song)
posted by rad at 10:45 AM
2 Comments:
what is this blogs official stance on the rap cat controversy?
I just sent this letter to Checker's Corporate headquarters,
"I don't have a problem with the rap cat parody, however, I am
concerning about the narrative associated with the description of the
big value meal. The creators of the ad campaign are aware of the
association of the 40 ounce beer with African-American youths so I
think to subliminally play on that in your ad with the narrative
emphasizing '40 ounce'..pause..and then 'soft drink' is irresponsible
and was purposely done to play off of the reference to the 40 ounce
beer that African-American youths are so fond of. I live in an
African-American community where alcoholism is a problem among our
youth and we do not need for even the vernacular to be reinforced
through the media as an innocent ad campaign. It would be far less
offensive if you were to at least correct the pause to remove the
emphasis from the '40 ounce' reference".
Pay attention to the way this is done in the commercial where they
describe the big value meal.
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