We've covered Burger King's controversial ad campaigns in the past (Fast Food Frenzies) like their Whopper Virgins and the Whopper Sacrifice but this time, Burger King deals another foul ad, managing to offend only a billion people, Hindus. In a print ad, they depict the goddess Lakshmi straddling a meat sandwich with a tagline of "Snack is Sacred."
I suppose no one in the Marketing Department knows much about Hinduism - which advocates vegetarianism; and those Hindus who do eat meat, nearly all abstain from beef. The cow is considered a symbol of life and will likely never be successful on a Burger King menu in India.
Earlier this year Burger King released a rare apology over one of its ad campaigns in Spain after it offended the 150+ million Mexican people globally. The ad in question was for its "Texican Whopper" - a cheeseburger with a chile and a spicy mayonnaise.
The ads portray a short-stature Mexican wearing the Mexican flag and a professional wrestling mask co-inhabiting with a tall American cowboy character. At one point in the ad, the American lifts up the Mexican character so that he can place a trophy on a high shelf.
The most notable reaction came from Mexico's ambassador to Spain who wrote a letter to the company. Burger King quickly replied in a statement "Burger King Corporation has made the decision to revise the Texican Whopper advertising creative out of respect for the Mexican culture and its people" (via Reuters.)