THE AD: A 30-second ad for Cheerios cereal features a black dad, white mom and biracial child.
THE REACTION: The ad produced enough vitriol on YouTube last week that Cheerios requested the comments section be turned off.
COMPANY STANCE: The company is standing by the fictitious family, which reflects a black-white racial mix uncommon in commercials today, especially in TV ads, while mixed-race families are on the rise in real life. The national ad will continue running as scheduled for several more months.
