Advert whopper of insult, claims Mexico
An advertisement for Burger King’s Texican Whopper burger that has run in Europe shows a small wrestler dressed in a cape resembling a Mexican flag. The wrestler teams up with a lanky American cowboy almost twice his height to illustrate the cross-border blend of flavours.
“The taste of Texas with a little spicy Mexican,” a narrator’s voice says.
The taller cowboy boosts the wrestler up to reach high shelves and helps clean tall windows, while the Mexican helps the cowboy open a jar.
Mexico’s ambassador to Spain said he has written a letter to Burger King’s offices in that country objecting to the advert and asking that it be removed.
Jorge Zermeno told Radio Formula that the adverts “improperly use the stereotyped image of a Mexican”.
One of the things that most angered Mexican officials was a print edition of the advert showing the wrestler wearing what appears to be a Mexican flag as a cloak. “We have to tell these people that in Mexico we have a great deal of respect for our flag,” said the ambassador.
