Pizza Hut Shrimp Balls (Due Diligence)
An Internet commercial for the U.S. restaurant chain Pizza Hut has been accused of discriminating against disabled people.
In 2013, Pizza Hut released the commercial on major video websites in China to promote a new fried shrimp ball snack. The cartoon ad employs a pun on “blind” and “shrimp” as the pronunciations of the two words are similar in Chinese.
Pizza Hut Ad Accused of Making Fun of Blind People
“Pizza Hut Shrimp Ball” refers to a promotional stunt in China in 2013 where a TV commercial for a fried shrimp ball snack used a pun involving “shrimp” and “blind,” which resulted in protests from the visually impaired community due to its offensive nature. The ad was pulled, but Pizza Hut faced further backlash for its poorly worded apology, which included an image that text-to-speech software couldn’t read. While a specific shrimp ball product is not a common or current menu item in most Pizza Hut locations, the incident highlights a controversial and offensive advertising campaign that occurred in China.
The Incident in China
- Product: A promotional snack called “Shrimp Balls”.
- Advertising: An animated commercial where characters discussed the balls, one stating they were “confusingly rolling around…because they are blind balls”.
- Offensive Pun: In Chinese, the words for “shrimp” and “blind” have the same pronunciation, making the ad deeply offensive to blind people.
- Protests: Members of the visually impaired community protested outside Pizza Hut locations in China, wearing shirts with slogans like “I am not a blind ball”.
- Apology Fiasco: Pizza Hut pulled the ad but then issued an online apology that included an inaccessible image, further offending the visually impaired community.
Pizza Hut Apologizes for Offensive Ad, Ends up Insulting Again