Sherrie Bettenhausen

When I’m hungry and see a commercial for a fast food restaurant advertising its fresh and delicious, made to order, value meals, they always look so scrumptious and if I’m hungry, I may very well go out and buy what I just saw on television. Who doesn’t love something fast and healthy? A nice fresh sandwich commercial can easily change what my dinner menu is going to be for that night.

Deli sandwiches have been advertised for years, tempting us with made-to-order sandwiches, with crisp veggies and freshly baked breads. Calorie conscious consumers looking for lighter fare have led to the opening of fast-food sandwich shops. Competition is fierce.

This was all good and well until I saw a Quiznos commercial with what looks like two dead rats singing, in what seems to be a Mexican accent (Check it out here)!

Their eyes are bulging and floating all around and their teeth are very crooked. They are dancing to a Quiznos jingle, one is playing a guitar and wearing a pirate hat, the other is singing wearing a sort of top hat, with captions on the screen since you can’t really understand what is being said, and they are just plain ugly and sing horribly!

This grossed me out so much, I cannot even think about going to Quiznos again to eat. Depicting the Mexican nationality like this is unethical. Marketers have an obligation by the American Marketing Association, Statement of Ethics to avoid depicting demographic groups in a dehumanizing way. Not only that, but they are supposed to add value for the customer. I used to eat at Quiznos quite often so I know how delicious their food is…or should I say how delicious their food was.

How does ethically offensive road kill sell sandwiches?

Photograph Credit:
Sabrina Segal