Perhaps spawned by the success of Bend It Like Beckham, we now have what I believe to be the first mainstream commercial featuring Indian-Americans, thanks to Volkswagen. It’s a relatively new one (it’s not yet featured on VW’s page of TV ads), but it’s a welcome one in a world where car commercials generally suck. My first reaction was, “Wow… Indians in a commercial? It’s about time…” And only then did I realize that for a country that represents so many types of people how incredibly one-sided commercials still are. Can you name the last commercial you saw that featured an Indian family? Or a Middle Eastern family? Or any family with an accent?
Kudos to VW for taking this step. Let’s hope others will follow in bringing some diversity to the advertising landscape.
Posted in Television, Movies, and Music