--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What is the problem with the advertising…" description: "\"What is the problem with the advertising industry is they're still, for me, what I call in Africa is the colonial mind of white men, because the black ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg" --- # What is the problem with the advertising industry is… ![“What is the problem with the advertising industry is they're still, for me, what I call in Africa is the colonial mind of white men, because the black person or the other colour is out of the line. They're not good for this sort of purpose.” quote by Berhan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg) > “What is the problem with the advertising industry is they're still, for me, what I call in Africa is the colonial mind of white men, because the black person or the other colour is out of the line. They're not good for this sort of purpose.” [Berhan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He criticizes advertising for perpetuating colonial‑era stereotypes that marginalize non‑white peoples. **In simple terms:** Advertising can reinforce harmful racial biases. Key Takeaway Challenge biased narratives. Themes racism media colonialism Mood critical reflective Type analytical social When to use this quote - marketing campaigns - media production - policy advocacy Key Concepts representation cultural hegemony Questions to Reflect On - What responsibilities do advertisers have? - How can diverse voices reshape media? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched industry practices is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) [Advertising industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising-industry/) [Africa Colonial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/africa-colonial-2933327/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-person/) [Colour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/colour/) [Industry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry/) [Industry Africa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/industry-africa-3540396/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Advertising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-advertising-3540395/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-man/) ## Related quotes > [“Never before in history has such a sweeping fervor for freedom expressed itself in great mass movements which are driving down the bastions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/never-before-in-history-has-such-a-sweeping-fervor-for-freedom/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [How do people come up with a date and a time to take life from another man? . . . Twelve white men say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulysses-s-grant/how-do-people-come-up-with-a-date-and-a-time-to-take-life-from/) [Ulysses S. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulysses-s-grant/) > [The world keeps moving, the world keeps turning, and people get older, and young people become older and more important and cooler and interesting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/the-world-keeps-moving-the-world-keeps-turning-and-people-get-older/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [Christmas was on a Sunday in 2005, which had a greater than expected negative impact on retail and classified advertising during the last weekend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-pruitt/christmas-was-on-a-sunday-in-2005-which-had-a-greater-than-expected/) [Gary Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-pruitt/) > ['Be comfortable with who you are', reads the headline on the Hush Puppies poster. Are they mad? If people were comfortable with who they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-comfortable-with-who-you-are-reads-the-headline-on-the-hush/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At the start of the twenty-first century, the advertising industry is guiding one of history's most massive stealth efforts in social profiling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-turow/at-the-start-of-the-twenty-first-century-the-advertising-industry-is/) [Joseph Turow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-turow/) > [If Americans wish to preserve a country they will recognize, then the first step is to recognize the enemy. Public education is the enemy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charley-reese/if-americans-wish-to-preserve-a-country-they-will-recognize-then-the/) [Charley Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charley-reese/) > [ The entertainment industry, the advertising industry have taken \[the\] tools from the art world and made themselves much more politically potent. We are really… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-koons/the-entertainment-industry-the-advertising-industry-have-taken-the/) [Jeff Koons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-koons/) > [I think the central metaphor of the movie is this notion of what the advertising industry does. In order to make someone want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-beals/i-think-the-central-metaphor-of-the-movie-is-this-notion-of-what-the/) [Jennifer Beals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-beals/) > [Commercial interests with their advertising industry do not want people to develop contentment and less greed. Military interests in economic, political, ethnic or nationalist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-thurman/commercial-interests-with-their-advertising-industry-do-not-want/) [Robert Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-thurman/) > [Consumer sales depend on the habits and behaviors of consumers, and those who manipulate consumer markets cannot but address behavior and attitude. That is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-barber/consumer-sales-depend-on-the-habits-and-behaviors-of-consumers-and/) [Benjamin Barber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-barber/) > [One of my jobs was at a start-up ad agency. They were trying to do things differently, work with socially conscious clients, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/one-of-my-jobs-was-at-a-start-up-ad-agency-they-were-trying-to-do/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [I think of Google as a set of overlapping things. It's a consumer platform, consumer phenomenon of which search is its fundamental activity, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schmidt/i-think-of-google-as-a-set-of-overlapping-things-it-s-a-consumer/) [Eric Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schmidt/) > [The irony is, the advertising industry knows everyone hates what they produce. This is why they keep looking for new ways to force people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/the-irony-is-the-advertising-industry-knows-everyone-hates-what-they/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [“If a political party or a religious sect had even a fraction of the influence that the advertising industry has on us and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutger-bregman/if-a-political-party-or-a-religious-sect-had-even-a-fraction-of-the/) [Rutger Bregman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutger-bregman/) ## More by Berhan Ahmed > [When I was young, I had a big problem with warts. It started with one on the side of my little finger. A year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/when-i-was-young-i-had-a-big-problem-with-warts-it-started-with-one/) [Berhan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/) > [There is always the fear of unknown - racism comes from people when they don't know something, they are strangers to the other side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/there-is-always-the-fear-of-unknown-racism-comes-from-people-when/) [Berhan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/) > [The episode of The Fresh Prince in Bel-Air when Will Smith's father disses him. That's sadder than when Mufasa died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/the-episode-of-the-fresh-prince-in-bel-air-when-will-smith-s-father/) [Berhan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/) > [I regret starting drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and joining Facebook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/i-regret-starting-drinking-alcohol-smoking-cigarettes-and-joining/) [Berhan Ahmed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/) [Explore all 5 Berhan Ahmed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/) ## More Advertising quotes > [I saw this anti-drug commercial that showed a kid smoking pot in his dad's room with his friend. This kid finds a gun, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/i-saw-this-anti-drug-commercial-that-showed-a-kid-smoking-pot-in-his/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [“Salesmanship is usually the art of making it the prospect’s problem, the salesperson’s need or desire to earn money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/salesmanship-is-usually-the-art-of-making-it-the-prospect-s-problem/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Advertising justifies its existence when used in the public interest-it is much too powerful a tool to use solely for commercial purposes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gossage/advertising-justifies-its-existence-when-used-in-the-public-interest/) [Howard Gossage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gossage/) > [“Don't wait, just sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/don-t-wait-just-sweat/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [We have the capital, the resources, and the technology that we need to build a mobile advertising platform across the planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naveen-tewari/we-have-the-capital-the-resources-and-the-technology-that-we-need-to/) [Naveen Tewari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naveen-tewari/) > [“Never run advertising until the major publicity possibilities have been exploited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-ries/never-run-advertising-until-the-major-publicity-possibilities-have/) [Al Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-ries/) > [God never talks. But the devil keeps advertising, Father. The devil does a lot of commercials.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-peter-blatty/god-never-talks-but-the-devil-keeps-advertising-father-the-devil-does/) [William Peter Blatty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-peter-blatty/) > [I like Valentine's Day. The trouble is the florists and the candy-makers and the card people are all advertising so much, you don't dare…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-rooney/i-like-valentine-s-day-the-trouble-is-the-florists-and-the-candy/) [Andy Rooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-rooney/) > [I happened to be spotted by a modeling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-happened-to-be-spotted-by-a-modeling-agent-who-offered-me-a-part/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [They say that Madison Avenue will only pay high dollars in advertising if they get the 18-35 age range.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-gless/they-say-that-madison-avenue-will-only-pay-high-dollars-in/) [Sharon Gless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-gless/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [This hype word bothers me though It always sounds like an accusation, what does it mean, advertising, column inches in the press? Bands themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-johnson/this-hype-word-bothers-me-though-it-always-sounds-like-an-accusation/) [Holly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-johnson/) > [I'm supposed to be taking time off. But I'm still writing and I have this Gap advert lined up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-stone/i-m-supposed-to-be-taking-time-off-but-i-m-still-writing-and-i-have/) [Joss Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-stone/) > [Any seeming deception in a statement is costly, not only in the expense of the advertising but in the detrimental effect produced upon the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/any-seeming-deception-in-a-statement-is-costly-not-only-in-the/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) [Browse all 1,942 Advertising quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advertising/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What is the problem with the advertising industry is they're still, for me, what I call in Africa is the colonial mind of white men, because the black person or the other colour is out of the line. They're not good for this sort of purpose.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Berhan Ahmed" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising-industry-is-they-re-still/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advertising" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising-industry-is-they-re-still/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/01e/berhan-ahmed-63546_advertising_what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising_1192040.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What is the problem with the advertising industry is they're still, for me, what I call in Africa is the…” — Berhan Ahmed", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Berhan Ahmed", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berhan-ahmed/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What is the problem with the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising-industry-is-they-re-still/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berhan-ahmed/what-is-the-problem-with-the-advertising-industry-is-they-re-still/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```