What did Krispy Kreme post? Donut brand under fire over racial slur in campaign
Krispy Kreme has been under serious pressure from a large section of media with backlashes following a recent post they made. Read on as we discuss the Krispy Kreme post that drew controversy around their brand.
A look into the Krispy Kreme post
Krispy Kreme have been subjected to serious controversy when they shared their new campaign that was made by creative agency Abel.
The campaign was in collaboration with Limehouse Production and it is said to be encouraging customers to pick up a box of their doughnuts for major celebrations.
In a video they shared across their social platforms, they replaced the letter “o” in words like “footy,” “movie,” and “hooray.
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But one shows doughnuts popping up to replace the “o” in “congrats”– briefly spelling “c–ngrats” then “c–ngrats.
However, things didn’t go as planned for them as they have been accused of it being an offensive slur forcing them to apologise to the public.
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Krispy Kreme Apology
Soon after the video was shared, it drew criticisms from a large section of viewers and the doughnut brand realised that quickly. A few minutes later the video was removed from their YouTube page and followed it up with an apology.
“We never intended to offend any person or group, “We are sorry for the oversight and have removed all congratulations-related ads from the campaign” – Sutherland said in a statement
What to know about Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme is an American multinational doughnut company and coffeehouse chain.
The brand was founded by Vernon Rudolph(1915–1973), who bought a yeast-raised recipe from a New Orleans chef, rented a building in 1937 in what is now historic Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and began selling to local grocery stores.
Steady growth preceded an ambitious expansion as a public company in the period 2000 to 2016, which ultimately proved unprofitable.
In 2016, the company returned to private ownership under JAB Holding Company, a private Luxembourg-based firm. In July 2021, Krispy Kreme became publicly traded again on the Nasdaq.
Expansion occurred in the 1950s, including an early store in Savannah, Georgia. By the 1960s, Krispy Kreme was known throughout the Southeast, and it began to expand into other areas. In 1976, Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation became a wholly owned subsidiary of Beatrice Foods of Chicago, Illinois.
The headquarters for Krispy Kreme remained in Winston-Salem.A group of franchisees purchased the corporation back from Beatrice Foods in 1982.
On February 19, 2007, Krispy Kreme began selling the Whole Wheat Glazed doughnut in an attempt to appeal to the health conscious.
The doughnut has nearly the same number of calories as the original glazed donut (180 calories vs. 190 calories) but contains more fiber (2 grams vs. 0.5 grams).
As of January 2008, the trans fatcontent of all Krispy Kreme doughnuts was reduced to 0.5 of a gram or less. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in its guidelines, allows companies to round down to 0 g in its nutrition facts label even if the food contains as much as 0.5 of a gram per serving.
Krispy Kreme benefited from this regulatory rule in its subsequent advertising campaign, touting its doughnuts as “trans fat-free” and having “0 grams trans fat!”.
On July 1, 2010, Krispy Kreme introduced a doughnut that included the soft drink Cheerwine, which was to be sold in grocery stores in Northand South Carolina during July.
The doughnuts proved so popular that the Salisbury, North Carolina, Krispy Kreme location (the town where Cheerwine is made) sold them as well. After July 31, this was the only place to get them.
