Cadbury to apologise to Naomi Campbell over ‘racist’ ad

Supermodel said she was ‘shocked’ by campaign comparing her to a Dairy Milk Bliss bar Confectionery giant Cadbury is to issue a formal apology to Naomi Campbell after the supermodel claimed an advert comparing her to one of its chocolate bars was racist. The advert for Cadbury’s Bliss range of Dairy Milk chocolate bars used the strapline “Move over Naomi, there’s a new diva in town”. Campbell said she was “shocked” by the ad, intended as a tongue-in-cheek play on Campbell’s reputation for diva-style tantrums and behaviour. “It’s upsetting to be described as chocolate, not just for me but for all black women and black people,” she said. “I do not find any humour in this. It is insulting and hurtful.” Cadbury is expected to publish a statement on its UK website today in an attempt to draw a line under the row. Campaigning group Operation Black vote called the ad an “insult” to black women , while the supermodel’s mother Valerie said she was “deeply upset by this racist advert” . “This is the 21st century, not the 1950s,” she added. “Shame on Cadbury.” The ad was one of 15 developed by Fallon, the agency behind Cadbury’s famous drumming gorilla TV campaign . Cadbury, now part of the Kraft empire, pulled the ads and initially issued a statement saying it was “never our intention to cause offence” and it had positioned the campaign as a “light-hearted take on the social pretensions of Cadbury Dairy Milk Bliss”. However pressure has continued to mount on Cadbury for not issuing a full formal apology to Campbell . A spokeswoman for Cadbury confirmed that a statement would be published on its website today. •

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