Heineken removes ad with ‘Sometimes lighter is better’ tagline after racism accusations

By Melissa Quinn

Published March 27, 2018 5:11pm ET

Heineken removes ad with ‘Sometimes lighter is better’ tagline after racism accusations — A Russian River Brewing Company customer takes a sip of the newly released Pliny the Younger triple IPA beer on February 7, 2014 in Santa Rosa, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) | Justin Sullivan

Heineken has removed a TV and digital ad that proclaimed “Sometimes lighter is better” after facing accusations the ad was racist.

The 30-second spot showed a bartender removing the top off a bottle of Heineken and sliding it across a bar, passing several black men and women. The bottle ultimately reached the hands of a lighter-skinned woman, and the tagline “Sometimes, lighter is better” appears on screen.