Dunkin' Donuts said it is pulling a Thai advert featuring a woman with black face make-up after a human rights group criticised it as "racist".
Skytrain passengers sit next to a Dunkin' Donuts poster featuring a woman with black face make-up on Tuesday. Dunkin' Donuts said it was pulling the Thai advert featuring a woman with black face make-up after a human rights group criticised it as "racist". (AFP photo)
The US firm apologised for the "insensitivity" of the ad for its "charcoal donut", with the slogan, "break all rules of deliciousness".
"We are working with our franchisee to immediately pull the television spot and to change the campaign," Karen Raskopf, chief communications officer for Dunkin' Brands, said in a statement received by AFP on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch deputy Asia director Phil Robertson criticised Dunkin' Donuts for "using racist images to sell donuts".
The ad could still be seen on the Bangkok skytrain on Tuesday.
The image of the woman in black face make-up and bright pink lipstick caused little controversy in Thailand, however, while on social media sites there were differing views on whether the ad was racist.
Skin whitening creams abound in the kingdom with many believing that a lighter skin reflects higher status - an image fuelled by the popularity of white-skinned models and actors on billboards and the television.