„DER MOHR HAT SEINE ARBEIT GETAN.” DER SCHWARZHÄUTIGE ALS WERBEFIGUR
"THE MOHR HAS DONE HIS WORK." THE BLACK-SKIN AS ADVERTISING CHARACTER

Summary/Abstract: Candies, chocolate, dark coloured treats, "the Ice Cream-Moor" or even “Negro’s bread”. In this way, over and over again, the trigger for a loud, critical and extended media debate over a so-called "discreet charm" of persistent racial discrimination in today's (here German) advertising. Starting from the personification of “Mohren”/”moors” (dark and black-skinned persons) in everyday culture and especially in the advertising industry (the Sarotti-chocolate products, appreciated traditional German and Austrian deserts), in this paper two possible advertising "incidents" of consumer goods advertising in Germany and Austria are under discussion. Most likely unintentionally, advertising appeals to (traditional, stereotyping) racist images or rather oversees their negative impact. So, the nowadays generally avoided, paraphrased or even prohibited food names could outrage the public one more time. The paper examines the possible sources and mechanisms of (unexpected) racism in the selected ad messages.

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