Ads Gone Bad: Six Flags not so much fun

Posted Sep 10th 2008 8:00AM by Tom Barlow
Filed under: Consumer Experience, Marketing and Advertising

This post is part of our Ads Gone Bad series. Share your thoughts and memories of this ad in the comments, and be sure to check out our other posts on marketing gone wrong.

Thanks to our unfortunate history with slavery and the subsequent economic slavery imposed on minority Americans, we as a nation are very sensitive to charges of racism. So sensitive, in fact, that advertisers are often accused of such transgressions for the slightest intimation. Six Flags (NYSE: SIX), the amusement park chain, found this out recently.

The park created what I thought was a clever series of ads contrasting the humdrum routine of ordinary life with the thrills to be found at a Six Flags park. For example, one ad showed a lumpy teen attempting to dance, another a chortling woman teasing her cat with a laser pointer, both compared to gleeful coaster riders at Six Flags.

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund found these ads offensive, however, because the head of an Asian man's face appeared in a bubble, rating the degree of fun, rated in number of flags, of each recreation. His accent (Japanese, I thought) and his simple but hyper-enthusiastic phrasing ("two flags," for the dancer and laser wielder, "six flags" for the coaster, followed by the tag line "More flags, more fun.") suggested a stereotypical English-challenged outsider.

I guess my racism detector isn't that finely calibrated. I saw him as a positive character, the one who "got it" while the "two flags" characters didn't. But then again, I'm a white middle-class American male. How many times do you suppose I've suffered from racism?

Six Flags didn't seem too concerned about the implied racism, refusing to comment on it for the press. Nevertheless, I expect coming ads for the chain will be very carefully constrained to avoid a repeat of this incident.

In this case, charges of racism
Hit the nail on the head	178 (4.7%)
Are utter nonsense	2945 (78.5%)
Could go either way	301 (8.0%)
Don't know, don't care	329 (8.8%)

See other examples of Ads Gone Bad.

Tags: Ads Gone Bad, amusement parks, bad ads, bad advertisements, more flags, more fun ad, six flags

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)

9-05-2008 @ 4:08PM

Eileen M. Ryan said...

Ok, I'm Caucasian and try to be p.c., but honest to God, I never thought once about the fact that this guy was Asian. I figured they hired him for the ad because his raucous voice was so attention-getting, not to mention his great smile.

9-05-2008 @ 5:01PM

ART said...

WE NEED TO GROW SOME SKIN IN THIS COUNTRY, ANY COLOR JUST THICKER.

9-05-2008 @ 6:44PM

dan said...

I hate that commercial just because of that guy.!!!!

9-05-2008 @ 6:44PM

melessa said...

awwww, my sister LOVES this guy. one of her favorite commericials. & she wishes she was asian....besides, hasn't anyone seen iron chef? some asians do act like that. what's the big deal? it's not like they put the guy down or implied that he was stupid or something.

9-05-2008 @ 6:51PM

Robert said...

If Asians see this as racism, they are way of base. If their that sensitive, go back to your poverty in asia

9-05-2008 @ 6:54PM

D.R. Smith said...

I hate this ad because it is loud and obnoxious and incessant. I am glad it is gone.

9-05-2008 @ 7:10PM

msbrome said...

I thought the Asian actor was spoofing those crazy and extreme game shows from Japan that humiliate people and scream at the contestants. I thought it was based on that whole genre that the Japanese promote.

9-05-2008 @ 7:14PM

Dave said...

It's very likely that Six Flags was trying to capture the "rowdy yelling asian announcer" feel with these ads, commonly associated with - especially - Japanese game shows and such. Watch Ninja Warrior, and all you hear is boisterous yelling.

Six Flags was probably trying to tap into the market that has made things like MXZ, Ninja Warrior and the flood of Japanese-themed televisions shows and animes. Can't blame them, but it's far, far removed from making them racists.

9-05-2008 @ 8:04PM

Just me said...

I HATE these commercials. I mute the television whenever they come on. The man's voice is abrasive and annoying. It makes me want to do anything but go to Great America. I tried to send a complaint to the company via their internet site- but when I hit send- it said there was an error. Yeah, Sure. They were probably tired of getting complaints.

9-08-2008 @ 12:38AM

Mad Mike said...

"Thanks to our unfortunate history with slavery and the subsequent economic slavery imposed on minority Americans, we as a nation are very sensitive to charges of racism."

- You have to be kidding me with this opening sentence... Who is this guy? Slavery is indeed an "unfortunate" part of our past, but I am curious about the "subsequent economic slavery imposed on minority Americans". Examples?

9-07-2008 @ 1:45AM

flash said...

they had an open casting call when they hired this guy,he was hired for his attention getting look and his booming voice

9-12-2008 @ 8:05AM

GAL11O said...

I CAN'T STAND THOSE ADS - THEY SHOULD BRING BACK THAT OLD DANCING DUDE - -NOW THAT WAS FUNNY!!!

9-07-2008 @ 4:29PM

ms.r said...

ok i can see were the guy repeating 6 flags is anoying but thats all. i focased on the granny messing with the cat an there saying this is better.i so tired of this raciest thing becides its about time they put asins in. instead of the have to african american in just about all. be serious does every one have a black male female sitting at there holiday table no.or have friends no maybe more so now but why push it.pay attention next time you veiw its a white woman next to a black male .no raciest remark im stating a true fact

9-07-2008 @ 5:03PM

Susan Jones said...

I would think that the guy who got paid for doing the ad was thrilled. I did not see anything at all the problem.

9-07-2008 @ 5:58PM

walkin07 said...

The only thing offensive about this ad was the in your face giant screaming head. It was as bad as 'head-on' products. I've been to two 6-Flags and if you call getting ripped off fun, well, enjoy.

9-07-2008 @ 6:12PM

David said...

I don't want to appear to be nonPC, God forbid, but if he was gay and was doing an ad for Gay Day at Disneyland and said " More fags, more fun" would that be racist, or just offensive. What if he were an Asian homosexual. I think the original 6 Flags ad would have had more appeal if he had said " More frags, more fun"

9-07-2008 @ 6:35PM

sea4mefl said...

I think people are getting way to sensitive. I didn't immediately picture an entire race of Asians when I saw this ad. What I pictured was an American having fun at a theme park.

9-07-2008 @ 7:51PM

Robert said...

Who writes this garbage? I believe most americans are sick and tired of the hyper sensitivity that's been jammed down our throat by the media. We are in danger of losing free speech in this country; not by invasion or government decree, but by sheer cowardice.

9-07-2008 @ 7:55PM

Mike said...

Are you kidding. Grow a pair!!!!!! And get over it. It is a stupid commercial but in no way racist. With all the problems we have to worry about , people really give two craps about this stuip stuff?