TD Bank Says Sorry After 'Racist' Ad Mentions Dorchester
March 21, 2019
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — TD Bank is a apologizing after one of their ads for debit card replacement service made a reference to Dorchester, which some took on social media as racist.
It read: “When you’re Downtown, but your debit card’s somewhere in Dorchester.”
Hey @TDBank_US what's with the racist ad in Boston? If you you're wondering why this is racist, just take a guess. You're probably right. pic.twitter.com/rBr0XtaGLR
— Reilly --Abolish ICE-- Hay (@reillyhay) March 20, 2019
A photo of the ad, which was on full display inside the bank’s Back Bay branch on Boylston Street, was shared on Twitter by Reilly Hay on Wednesday.
Hay added that the ad subconsciously implies that "lost in Dorchester is code for stolen."
If you know Boston stereotypes, you know that lost in Dorchester is code for stolen. Which sucks, because to get stolen from Dorchester you need to go through the concepts of low-income and, most importantly, black and brown.
— Reilly --Abolish ICE-- Hay (@reillyhay) March 20, 2019
Some online made reference to another ad campaign gone wrong—when Samsung had a similar ad in Boston’s South Station referencing Mattapan in 2017.
That ad campaign was also taken down down after backlash.
Especially when Samsung tried this ad in 2017...
— Joey Mas (@iamjoeymas) March 21, 2019
Racist and unoriginal, apparently. pic.twitter.com/sJ5jkuU0Cd
According to Boston.com, TD Bank apologized and said the sign was the only marketing poster made.
“We are sorry that an ad that appeared in one of our stores was insensitive to the Dorchester community,” the bank said in a statement. “The ad, which was removed today, does not reflect our core values around diversity and inclusion.”
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