ANA's Latest Ad Campaign -- Offensive, Hilarious, Or Boring?

That's just a really dumb ad, not an offensive one.

Not offensive, and I feel like they could have tapped into a lot of other "western" stereotypes that would have been a lot funnier. Like they could have been overweight and talked really loud. 😉

Some new ad copy for ANA:

"Fly out of Haneda to Washington, DC with ANA and enjoy the incessant partisan bickering, the grand Savannah, GA, and the indigenous white people with their very big noses."

Dumb.
Why ANA thinks that a long nose and a blonde wig imply that they are expressing "the importance of the planned expansion of international services from Haneda" is completely beyond me. There simply is no logical connection.

They should promote roominess and shorter travel distance from Tokyo by dressing their "gaijin" actors in morbidly obese fat suits!

Calm down.. if you aren't from Japan you just won't get Japanese humor. What offends me is that people are offended over a wig and a big nose. PC is the death of this country.

I find the add extremely offensive. Racial stereotyping is not smart advertising. If it had finished around " do you want a hug", I would have found it rather cute....

I think it's, technically speaking, offensive. Indeed, I think it's intentionally so. In the sense that it's plainly meant to give offense. But very mildly so. Mild offense is a pretty common form of humor. The line is difficult, but generally, the more funny the further you can push being intentionally offensive. Farting at a party is just offensive, because it's not very funny. Louis C.K. is very funny and has made a living walking the line of meaning to offend but getting away with it, because it's funny.

Personally, I'm not offended, though a member of the targeted group. But the problem when you deliberately try to offend is that you sort of have to expect that some will be. That's the point. And for those, you better hope it's funny enough to overcome the offense given. The problem with this ad, is that it's likely only funny to the group making the joke, not to the group targeted. That's really the key -- you have to make your joke funny to the group targeted, and this one doesn't seem to qualify. When you do that, you sort of have bought you ticket and have to take the train wherever it goes.

Where can I get a nose like that ?

The most racist add and a lot of Japanese are. Out of tokio and osaka if you get sick try and find a hospital to take you, sit in a cafe/restaurant and wait, wait, wait. Just be thankfull that you are not a Korean in Japan!

The complaints are from westerners in Japan, and if you speak Japanese then you would understand the nuances, it comes as a shock to those who move here.

Strange - it's usually the Asians on the receiving end!

Can you book IAH-TPE using ANA miles?

My problem with this commercial is how Haneda airport is portrayed to be. 😛

How dark Haneda airport is portrayed to be. *

Hahaha, he looked like Owen Wilson with the wig and nose! I don't think the ad was a good ad or really even sensical, but it did make me laugh when he turned around with the wig and nose on.

it's boring, but not as boring as the folks who complained. It's just part of the japanese culture. BTW, any western personel was ever tried onseen in japan? or even allowed to enter it?

@Bostonwalker

I have stayed overnight at an onsen on 3 different occasions - I had a great time each time I went.

Why would this be a problem?

Whyyy are you all offended? Jeez. It's Japanese humor.

This ad is plain bad. Coincidentally, I am currently searching for ANA award space from US to Japan. Wonder if I should dye my hair blond before I go 😛