Coors Light Pulls "Emboricuate" Campaign After Offending NY Puerto Ricans

A three-year-old ad campaign for Coors Light that coincides with New York City's Puerto Rican Day Parade has been pulled after Puerto Ricans complained the tagline, "Emboricuate", shows them in an alcoholic light. Though the campaign, which features Puerto Rican flag colors and celebratory images of Puerto Ricans, seems to be attempting to play off Puerto Rican pride, actual Puerto Ricans feel that the tagline is a play on words meant to imply "emborrachate", or "get drunk."

As early as 2009, Nuyoricans were up in arms about this campaign. On the website heylatino, one commenter said:

This campaign is a marketing nightmare for those of us who represent the true Puerto Rican. If you would do this in the Black Community or Jewish Community you would pay alot of money making amends. This is implying that all Puerto Ricans do is celebrate this day by drinking or we are drunks. Emboricuate and Emborachate are headed in the same direction. As a member of the Puerto Rican community this is an insult and someone needs to bring this to the media and clip the campaign in the ass. Coors should apologize to our community and promote our positive side.

This year, someone called local New York City station WPIX to get some real attention on the issue.

No doubt Nuyoricans' sensitivity comes from a history of drunken violence that has occurred at the city's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, most notably a slew of sexual assaults against women that occurred in Central Park after the 2000 parade.

Today, New York State Senator Ruben Diaz Jr. (D-32nd) sent an open letter to Coors Brewing Company, objecting to the use of the ads at the Puerto Rican Day parade, which is officially a dry zone.

While we all welcome corporate sponsorship to help make our Puerto Rican Day Parade celebration special, Coors Light is sponsoring Parade ads that show large bottles of beer with the "Emboricuate" which means "become Puerto Rican" message below the ad. Puerto Ricans are proud of our rich tradition and culture. The false impression these ads suggest is that drinking beer is an central part of our culture.

Moments ago, according to Fox News Latino, Coors responded by announcing that, In a joint decision with the National Puerto Rican Day Parade, they have decided to discontinue the "Emboricuate" campaign.