Re-branding Ben

Interesting report from the Table of Malcontents about the re-branding a national icon:

Racist or Not? "Uncle Ben" Becomes "Chairman Ben" On the Web
In a controversial online advertising campaign, food corporation Mars is revamping the original spokesmodel for Uncle Ben's Rice -- but instead of being a smiling, servant "Negro" ala ads from the 1940s, he'll be just "Ben," the wealthy African-American chairman of an imaginary rice company. The idea is to overturn stereotypes of African-Americans while retaining Uncle Ben's recognizable marketing iconography. The campaign, masterminded by TBWA/Chiat/Day and president of Mars' food division Vincent Howell (himself African-American), launched this week on the Uncle Ben's website. Already, multicultural activists are uneasy.

From the New York Times:

�This is an interesting idea, but for me it still has a very high cringe factor,� said Luke Visconti, partner at Diversity Inc. Media in Newark, which publishes a magazine and Web site devoted to diversity in the workplace. �There�s a lot of baggage associated with the image,� Mr. Visconti said, which the makeover �is glossing over.�

The website they are talking about is: Uncle Ben I wonder what the designers were smoking when the picked out this way to re-brand the company. Sheesh!