Well, that’s a shame.
It looks like Nutella will not be customizing a jar of the yummy, hazelnut-y spread for a 5-year-old girl whose name happens to be Isis.
When an Australian woman put in a request to buy a personalized jar of Nutella for her niece – due to the Ferrero Australia “Make Me Yours” campaign launch in September where the company offered to customize jars at request – she was swiftly declined due to the negative connotations of the name. The computer (or system) flagged it due its similarity to the Islamic State extremist group in the news.
While you would think this would be a silly automated mistake, it looks like Craig Barker, the Ferrero chief executive, is not backing down by standing by the decision, stating that the name was “sensitive in nature,” according to the NY Daily News.
While this is certainly true, we also sympathize with the aunt, parents and the child. Isis, originally the name of an Egyptian goddess, has only received negative connotations recently and unfortunately the effects it may have in social situations may certainly have more of an impact than would be desirable – especially on a young girl.
Heather Taylor, the young girl’s mother stated:
“I am starting to get to the point where I don’t want to call her name out. Because she is going to start noticing people looking.”
The “Make Me Yours” campaign is apparently now closed. Whether it’s due to this or other circumstances is unclear.
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What do you this of this “Nutella Isis” controversy?
