This Offensive Beer Ad Was Pulled For Mocking Redheads

In today’s “maybe you should’ve thought that one through” news, we present the case of Carlton & United Breweries (CUB), an Australian beer company. Last month, CUB released a campaign for its new Rusty Yak Gingery Ale, taking some very misguided inspiration from the whole “ginger” part.

In the commercial (which you can watch for yourself below), the narrator describes the discovery of a “ginger” gene. “Floating around in our beer, just like it’s been floating around in human DNA, surprising families for generations,” he explains, pausing to show a couple holding a baby with visibly red hair.

The ad then goes one step further, actually calling on consumers to “stop the spread of the gene” by searching inside six packs of beer for hidden bottles marked with a special label. According to CUB, it was supposed to be a “fun” marketing campaign — and a way for Australians to win some cash — but it quickly backfired once consumers called out the racist undertones of the advertisement.


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