The Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO-created ad had been due to run for another four weeks but Heinz stopped airing the ad on Friday.
It has provoked 179 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority, which has not yet decided whether it will investigate them. However, the watchdog is thought to have received many more that have not been counted due to a technical fault.
The ad shows a family in their kitchen with the twist that the mother making the sandwiches is replaced by a New York deli chef to get across the authentic nature of the product. The chef and the father kiss each other on the cheek as the father leaves for work as if the chef were his wife.
Heinz said it withdrew the ad in response to consumer feedback and issued an apology "to anyone who felt offended".
The people who complained said the ad was "offensive" and "inappropriate", and some were angry that they had to explain to their children why two men were kissing.
Nigel Dickie, director of corporate affairs for Heinz UK, said: "It is our policy to listen to consumers. We recognize that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it.
"The advertisement, part of a short-run campaign, was intended to be humorous and we apologize to anyone who felt offended."
Was Heinz right to pull its male kiss Deli Mayo ad? Vote in our poll.
Comments
Depends when it ran of course, but if it was shown at the right time, I think this is a great shame. Provocative work that isn't allowed to run is a pity.
Its not even provocative. It's just funny. Some people need to get themselves a little bit of perspective.
Its not my sort of thing but its a good ad..... thats that... dont like it dont watch it.....
Pathetic.
The only thing offensive here is this sort of petty censorship.
agree re: censorship - nothing to get worked up about. I don't like the ad because the kiss has no relevance to the product - feels like a PR stunt more than an ad.
This is so very disappointing. Here we are in 2008, in one of the most forward-thinking countries in the world, and two men pecking each other on the cheek in a clever and tasteful ad is banned for "offensiveness".
For starters, I don't believe homosexuality is even remotely offensive, and even if it were, the kiss in this advert makes perfect sense within the concept. It's not gratuitous or prolonged, and I hope one day the backwards-thinking people who complained about this will open their eyes.
I think it's a good ad. I agree, I think people need to get themselves a little bit of perspective.
I think it's a lovely ad and the kiss gag is a sweet ending. What a shame to pull it because of what, homophobia? I applaud Heinz for making such a charming ad but they're spineless to pull it. Whoever complained has no sense of humour and should be forced to watch 3 seasons worth of episodes of 'Will & Grace', 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' and 'Queer as Folk' back-to-back. After they've been to a musical. And before being kissed goodnight by Brian Blessed.
What kind of country are we living when ads like these get taken off-air! Unbelievable! Name and shame those who complained - they need to go on some kind of course to learn how to be tolerant of others. They obviously have nothing better to do with their time!
What a disgusting decision from the corp comms team at Heinz. Shame on you.
Cute ad.
This is a sad day for civilization.
Neimad - 24/06/2008
Child: Why are two men kissing?
Mummy: They're just being silly.
Child: Oh
End of story, good pr though of course, I think campbell's should respond with two men kissing with tongues.
Agreed! Or even:
Child: Why are 2 men kissing?
Mummy: Because they love eachother
Child: Oh
Ignorance breeds prejudice and in a country where gay marraige is legal and accepted what is wrong with having a little bit of that portrayed in the ad world. Its a cute ad and quite clearly is just a bit of fun.
What a shame.
Gayonaise smeared huh - that's one sandwich short of a picnic.
Gayonaise - lol. I'm loving it. I'm going to try this stuff.
There's no such thing as bad publicity.
Surely both Heinz and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO would have realised that people would have complained. I wonder if this was in the original brief... a piece of communication highly controversial
www.mattkelly.typepad.com
It had to be in the original brief. You don't have two men kissing and not expect a *** storm of up tight from the suburbs. These are the kind of people who got Boris Johnson elected.
Whoa, have I just woken up in the 1950s? What on earth is the big fuss about?!
I totally agree with Holly. I didn't see it as a gay kiss at all - the deli chef was the 'mother' in this scenario. Great concept, well executed and the kids blatantly calling the chef 'Mum' should have been enough to set the scene for anyone watching. Charming ad, well done, shame it was pulled.
179 complaints, all from Guildford I bet - the offended masses of suburban surrey gave a collective retch and ran out in to their streets with all the other white, middle-class, 2.4 children, straight as an arrow types.
I'm suprised the Tory stampede didn't set off the alarms on their 3 series bimmers as they charged down their drives en-masse, arms aloft, seething with outrage, clucthing their mont blanc and scented notepaper, ready to pen the prose of their disgust.
W*nkers!
well well well. How incredibly obvious HJ have been.
This ad was as racy and shocking in much the same way as a christmas panto. A craven decision on the part of Heinz. What it has to do with the election of Boris Johnson is beyond me though James Walters! I think the million-plus people who voted for him are not all to be labelled as homophobic, as you have just done.
No, they're to be labelled idiots.
I am amazed this drew 179 complaints and I really would like to understand a bit more about the type of people who are offended by something as mild and humouress as this. I also wish people would stop blaming suburbia as if it's made up of strange, isolated communities that breed ignorance. Most people in Surrey are townies who moved out to get a bigger pad when they had kids and most still work in town. Ignorent people live anywhere and unfortunately everywhere.
I wasnt a big fan of the kiss but i didnt feel compelled to complain about it. thats a bit much. its ridiculous that its been pulled but the whole world has gone mad so we have to deal with decisions like these nowsdays.
"Offensive!" and "Inappropriate" - I agree. Long gone are the days when my wife had time to make sandwiches for the kids, let alone kiss me good-bye. It's entirely possible that the younger viewers' consternation is probably less the result of the actions of the two men, and more the implication of parents actually kissing - "eeee-yuk!" Love the ad.
why are people making a connection between the Tories/Boris Johnson and censorship? When I think of censorship, pandering to special interest groups and a society in which no one can say anything through fear of offending 'feelings' or sensibilities New Labour immediately springs to mind. They have actually been the government for the past 11 years. When I think of Boris Johnson, I think of someone who feels free to say what he thinks and objects to pretty much anything that threatens freedom of speech. This is a line he's been trotting out in his Telegraph column for years and one of the reasons he got elected. Comparisons to people who vote Conservative are way off the mark.
It's a shame in the 21st century or in other time to treat and humiliate homosexuals like those who critized Heinz. Be honest and face reality. Homosexuality is part of our life. Just as there are blondes, brown hair people etc. So we can say there are heterosexuals and homosexuals. Is this a big deal? I do not think homosexuality is normal, but we cannot ignore the existence of it.
Boris Johnson is a racist idiot who PR'd his way to power. This ad has offended homophobic idiots, apparently intentionally as part of a PR stunt. I see the connection.
"Mummy, why are those men kissing?"
"It's just an advert, it doesn't mean anything"
If you couldn't show anything on TV that you couldn't easily explain to kids, what could you show?
It appears I should apologise for offending sensibilities - I'm sure that the complainants were not limited to Guildford, or indeed Surrey (which are doubtless cultural and ethnic melting pots, brimful of exciting and diverse poeple - quite possibly even the odd homosexual.)
Whilst I am at it, I expect that the political orientation of the complainants was not limited to Tories; indeed, narrow-mindedness is not strictly the reserve of white, middle-class, Daily Mail reading Conservatives. Throughout the course of my life I have had the misfortune to encounter biggots and w*nkers from an astounding array of different places and with an equally diverse socio-political background - I was therefore a fool to ignore my own experience and paint the misrepresentative picture laid out above.
For all those who were offended, I apologise for my swingeing broad strokes. You have shone a light in to my darkness and I am a better person for it. Put down your pen and notepad, your work here is done - I shall shortly be moving to Surrey and campaiging on behalf of my local Conservative MP.
dano - 24/06/2008
forget the mayo ads- has anyone seen the late night baked beans one when the husband drops to his knees? now thats whal i call controversial vol 47
It's appalling Heinz have pulled the ad. Baffling even. But not only is the decision to take the ad off the air tragic, but also a shame because the ad is so very very good - well executed, touching and funny. One of the best this year.
Sorry but this ad is both dangerous and preposterous. Nobody kisses their wife goodbye in the morning. We're British. A firm handshake and a tipped 'coker' should suffice.
How to explain to children why two men are kissing: "they love each other".
E K - 24/06/2008
A very big thank you people of UK owe Heinz just because listening to consumers feedback althought the feedback is not really a feedback. I agree with you guys mentioned "people need to get themselves a little bit of perspective". This is sadly the case that many lack common sense and have no understanding to analyse an ad. I personally believe an ad is not just about telling people "yes there's something out there go n buy it" it is also about educating people and making them to think about why the ad is saying and showing some pictures. If consumers lack such skills I must agree with ormiston groove who says "they're to be labelled idiots".
Today consumers need to possess some skills otherwise they shouldn't be taken seriously and listened to.
@Darren Davidson - agree with you that New Labour has a lot to answer for on the freedom of speech front, but let's face it, It's far more likely that the complainers were Conservative homophobes (like Boris Johnson, who wrote in his Telegraph column that gay marriage "can only ever be a ludicrous parody of the real thing") who rang in on this one.
i wonder if there would be as many complains if two women kissed!?
Somehow I missed this on TV but thank you BR for putting it up here, it's just made me laugh out loud. What a fantastic ad.
i was in support until this comment taken from the telegraph newspaper:
Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of the group, said: "We're shocked that an innocuous ad should have been withdrawn in this way. I can't imagine that Heinz would respond to protests about black people featuring in their adverts.
ummm,
there are gay black people
race and sexuality are different, can't be compared
what has black people have to do with people making complaints?
i would complain about that comment if i knew how to!
I think it was great, maybe it should of been shown after the 9 o'clock watershed but to pull the ad altogether seems a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to me
Apparently it was a born-again US Heinz exec who ordered it pulled. He hadn't been briefed on it & went ballistic when he saw it.
When programmes like hollyoaks at 6:30pm every night can show gay storylines including a priest with kissing scenes and people don't even bat an eyelid, and an ad like this which is humorous and isn't actually anything to do with homosexuality is pulled because a few single minded people can't get past whats happening in the country today its an absolute travesty. Once again its one rule for TV (who get praised for approaching those topics) and another for Adland. If it is a USA exec thats had it pulled then shame on him. The world of advertising is all about creativity and looking forward. If were going to spend the whole time living by rules and regs made centuries ago we might aswell stop right now.
Fundamentally its rather frightening that anyone would be offended by the peck on the cheek presented within the scenario of this ad. And its frightening because they clearly just don't get the motivations behind the gesture - they're blinded by the gesture itself. Now that's scary.
20
years ago when I worked at Channel 4, an order came through from my
sales boss not to slot any P&G ads in the Waltons on a Sunday
morning as the client objected to the fact that one of the actors in
the series was gay
Oh My God .. it was Will Geer, the actor who played Grandpa:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Geer
I heard a debate on Five live this morning in which a listener complained that it would be hard to explain this to his children. When pressed he said he would tell them that the men were psychologically wrong and mad. This is the kind of bigotry society still has to deal with and Heinz should have stood up to them. (I actually thought that it may have been a joke initially as the man was so extreme!)
He's not alone; the Pentagon still classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, 50 years after the medical profession abandoned that belief. Here:
http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20060620_pentagon_homosexuality_disorder/
BTW - spare a thought for the actors in the ad--most commercials actors are paid by ratings, in which case they've just lost around 80% of their income on this job, thanks to Heinz's lack of spine.
Very clever ad creatives. Invite minor uproar with least sexy man-on-man kiss ever seen. Remove ad with much fanfare & apology. Get instant fame for product that nobody heard of before, which has a name that sounds just like a notoriously conservative national tabloid. Unfortunate side-effect: gay kids, and kids of gay parents, are 'othered' and shamed by the implicit idea of their existence being 'offensive'. What a can of fuggin worms. www.jackshitandthebottomdrawer.blogspot.com
"Very clever ad creatives. Invite minor uproar with least sexy
man-on-man kiss ever seen. Remove ad with much fanfare & apology.
Get instant fame for product that nobody heard of before"
.. Exactly !!!
I really cant believe that this is an Ad' forum and so few people realize this.
The whole thing, stinks of pretense.
Plus, I love the irony that the complainants are supposedly up in arms about gay content when the content is totally NOT gay - the ad's gag rests on an unsophisticated inversion of what is an incredibly conservative kinda 1950s family frame: momma belongs in the kitchen and prepares the food, poppa goes out to work. The ad is completely NON-subversive - it supports this paradigm to the hilt, so it's totally sexist.
Yes indeed, it is cliche filled stereotype/non-stereo type, aggravating, annoying toss.
However - it has proved to be an excellent campaign.
All this has been planned for, and the amount of product awareness it has raised, is stunning.
Whilst I personally hate it (doesnt say anything, I hated the Gorilla) - hats off to the team who put it together.
I'm sure they planned for publicity, but they never planned to pull it--why book six weeks' media & waste all that money?
One of the actors on the Waltons was a major IRA fundraiser. Was that grandpa too?
Comments
Will Humphrey - 24/06/2008
Depends when it ran of course, but if it was shown at the right time, I think this is a great shame. Provocative work that isn't allowed to run is a pity.
Michael Byrne - 24/06/2008
Its not even provocative. It's just funny. Some people need to get themselves a little bit of perspective.
Ricky Harewood - 24/06/2008
Its not my sort of thing but its a good ad..... thats that... dont like it dont watch it.....
Jim Stafford - 24/06/2008
Pathetic. The only thing offensive here is this sort of petty censorship.
Nuts n Seeds - 24/06/2008
agree re: censorship - nothing to get worked up about. I don't like the ad because the kiss has no relevance to the product - feels like a PR stunt more than an ad.
Holly Brockwell - 24/06/2008
This is so very disappointing. Here we are in 2008, in one of the most forward-thinking countries in the world, and two men pecking each other on the cheek in a clever and tasteful ad is banned for "offensiveness". For starters, I don't believe homosexuality is even remotely offensive, and even if it were, the kiss in this advert makes perfect sense within the concept. It's not gratuitous or prolonged, and I hope one day the backwards-thinking people who complained about this will open their eyes.
Anna Barker - 24/06/2008
I think it's a good ad. I agree, I think people need to get themselves a little bit of perspective.
Graham Pugh - 24/06/2008
I think it's a lovely ad and the kiss gag is a sweet ending. What a shame to pull it because of what, homophobia? I applaud Heinz for making such a charming ad but they're spineless to pull it. Whoever complained has no sense of humour and should be forced to watch 3 seasons worth of episodes of 'Will & Grace', 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy' and 'Queer as Folk' back-to-back. After they've been to a musical. And before being kissed goodnight by Brian Blessed.
Anna Fflur - 24/06/2008
What kind of country are we living when ads like these get taken off-air! Unbelievable! Name and shame those who complained - they need to go on some kind of course to learn how to be tolerant of others. They obviously have nothing better to do with their time!
Matthew Holden - 24/06/2008
What a disgusting decision from the corp comms team at Heinz. Shame on you. Cute ad.
ronnie blogsville - 24/06/2008
This is a sad day for civilization.
Neimad - 24/06/2008
Child: Why are two men kissing?
Mummy: They're just being silly.
Child: Oh
End of story, good pr though of course, I think campbell's should respond with two men kissing with tongues.
Lauren Harris - 24/06/2008
Agreed! Or even: Child: Why are 2 men kissing? Mummy: Because they love eachother Child: Oh Ignorance breeds prejudice and in a country where gay marraige is legal and accepted what is wrong with having a little bit of that portrayed in the ad world. Its a cute ad and quite clearly is just a bit of fun. What a shame.
ROSS FURLONG - 24/06/2008
Gayonaise smeared huh - that's one sandwich short of a picnic.
James Walters - 24/06/2008
Gayonaise - lol. I'm loving it. I'm going to try this stuff.
Matt Kelly - 24/06/2008
There's no such thing as bad publicity. Surely both Heinz and Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO would have realised that people would have complained. I wonder if this was in the original brief... a piece of communication highly controversial www.mattkelly.typepad.com
James Walters - 24/06/2008
It had to be in the original brief. You don't have two men kissing and not expect a *** storm of up tight from the suburbs. These are the kind of people who got Boris Johnson elected.
Alex Donohue - 24/06/2008
Whoa, have I just woken up in the 1950s? What on earth is the big fuss about?!
Karina Jaya-Ratnam - 24/06/2008
I totally agree with Holly. I didn't see it as a gay kiss at all - the deli chef was the 'mother' in this scenario. Great concept, well executed and the kids blatantly calling the chef 'Mum' should have been enough to set the scene for anyone watching. Charming ad, well done, shame it was pulled.
Adam Powell - 24/06/2008
179 complaints, all from Guildford I bet - the offended masses of suburban surrey gave a collective retch and ran out in to their streets with all the other white, middle-class, 2.4 children, straight as an arrow types. I'm suprised the Tory stampede didn't set off the alarms on their 3 series bimmers as they charged down their drives en-masse, arms aloft, seething with outrage, clucthing their mont blanc and scented notepaper, ready to pen the prose of their disgust. W*nkers!
Awalla Fa'Shagba - 24/06/2008
well well well. How incredibly obvious HJ have been.
Rafael Bloom - 24/06/2008
This ad was as racy and shocking in much the same way as a christmas panto. A craven decision on the part of Heinz. What it has to do with the election of Boris Johnson is beyond me though James Walters! I think the million-plus people who voted for him are not all to be labelled as homophobic, as you have just done.
ormiston groove - 24/06/2008
No, they're to be labelled idiots.
Rachelle Headland - 24/06/2008
I am amazed this drew 179 complaints and I really would like to understand a bit more about the type of people who are offended by something as mild and humouress as this. I also wish people would stop blaming suburbia as if it's made up of strange, isolated communities that breed ignorance. Most people in Surrey are townies who moved out to get a bigger pad when they had kids and most still work in town. Ignorent people live anywhere and unfortunately everywhere.
Mr Cheese - 24/06/2008
I wasnt a big fan of the kiss but i didnt feel compelled to complain about it. thats a bit much. its ridiculous that its been pulled but the whole world has gone mad so we have to deal with decisions like these nowsdays.
Ian Smith - 24/06/2008
"Offensive!" and "Inappropriate" - I agree. Long gone are the days when my wife had time to make sandwiches for the kids, let alone kiss me good-bye. It's entirely possible that the younger viewers' consternation is probably less the result of the actions of the two men, and more the implication of parents actually kissing - "eeee-yuk!" Love the ad.
Darren Davidson - 24/06/2008
why are people making a connection between the Tories/Boris Johnson and censorship? When I think of censorship, pandering to special interest groups and a society in which no one can say anything through fear of offending 'feelings' or sensibilities New Labour immediately springs to mind. They have actually been the government for the past 11 years. When I think of Boris Johnson, I think of someone who feels free to say what he thinks and objects to pretty much anything that threatens freedom of speech. This is a line he's been trotting out in his Telegraph column for years and one of the reasons he got elected. Comparisons to people who vote Conservative are way off the mark.
Miki Breitner - 24/06/2008
It's a shame in the 21st century or in other time to treat and humiliate homosexuals like those who critized Heinz. Be honest and face reality. Homosexuality is part of our life. Just as there are blondes, brown hair people etc. So we can say there are heterosexuals and homosexuals. Is this a big deal? I do not think homosexuality is normal, but we cannot ignore the existence of it.
Justin Driskill - 24/06/2008
Boris Johnson is a racist idiot who PR'd his way to power. This ad has offended homophobic idiots, apparently intentionally as part of a PR stunt. I see the connection. "Mummy, why are those men kissing?" "It's just an advert, it doesn't mean anything" If you couldn't show anything on TV that you couldn't easily explain to kids, what could you show?
Adam Powell - 24/06/2008
It appears I should apologise for offending sensibilities - I'm sure that the complainants were not limited to Guildford, or indeed Surrey (which are doubtless cultural and ethnic melting pots, brimful of exciting and diverse poeple - quite possibly even the odd homosexual.) Whilst I am at it, I expect that the political orientation of the complainants was not limited to Tories; indeed, narrow-mindedness is not strictly the reserve of white, middle-class, Daily Mail reading Conservatives. Throughout the course of my life I have had the misfortune to encounter biggots and w*nkers from an astounding array of different places and with an equally diverse socio-political background - I was therefore a fool to ignore my own experience and paint the misrepresentative picture laid out above. For all those who were offended, I apologise for my swingeing broad strokes. You have shone a light in to my darkness and I am a better person for it. Put down your pen and notepad, your work here is done - I shall shortly be moving to Surrey and campaiging on behalf of my local Conservative MP.
Ian Smith - 24/06/2008
Bigot has one 'g'.
dano - 24/06/2008
forget the mayo ads- has anyone seen the late night baked beans one when the husband drops to his knees? now thats whal i call controversial vol 47
Darren Davidson - 24/06/2008
It's appalling Heinz have pulled the ad. Baffling even. But not only is the decision to take the ad off the air tragic, but also a shame because the ad is so very very good - well executed, touching and funny. One of the best this year.
Adam Powell - 24/06/2008
sorry for the typo too
Colin Montgomery - 24/06/2008
Sorry but this ad is both dangerous and preposterous. Nobody kisses their wife goodbye in the morning. We're British. A firm handshake and a tipped 'coker' should suffice.
anne-fay townsend - 24/06/2008
How to explain to children why two men are kissing: "they love each other".
E K - 24/06/2008
A very big thank you people of UK owe Heinz just because listening to consumers feedback althought the feedback is not really a feedback. I agree with you guys mentioned "people need to get themselves a little bit of perspective". This is sadly the case that many lack common sense and have no understanding to analyse an ad. I personally believe an ad is not just about telling people "yes there's something out there go n buy it" it is also about educating people and making them to think about why the ad is saying and showing some pictures. If consumers lack such skills I must agree with ormiston groove who says "they're to be labelled idiots". Today consumers need to possess some skills otherwise they shouldn't be taken seriously and listened to.
ormiston groove - 24/06/2008
@Darren Davidson - agree with you that New Labour has a lot to answer for on the freedom of speech front, but let's face it, It's far more likely that the complainers were Conservative homophobes (like Boris Johnson, who wrote in his Telegraph column that gay marriage "can only ever be a ludicrous parody of the real thing") who rang in on this one.
ryan mcl - 24/06/2008
i wonder if there would be as many complains if two women kissed!?
Sarah Crawley-Boevey - 24/06/2008
Somehow I missed this on TV but thank you BR for putting it up here, it's just made me laugh out loud. What a fantastic ad.
laura Bryant - 24/06/2008
i was in support until this comment taken from the telegraph newspaper: Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of the group, said: "We're shocked that an innocuous ad should have been withdrawn in this way. I can't imagine that Heinz would respond to protests about black people featuring in their adverts. ummm, there are gay black people race and sexuality are different, can't be compared what has black people have to do with people making complaints? i would complain about that comment if i knew how to!
Paul Byrne - 25/06/2008
I think it was great, maybe it should of been shown after the 9 o'clock watershed but to pull the ad altogether seems a bit of a knee-jerk reaction to me
ormiston groove - 25/06/2008
Apparently it was a born-again US Heinz exec who ordered it pulled. He hadn't been briefed on it & went ballistic when he saw it.
RACHEL DUTTON - 25/06/2008
When programmes like hollyoaks at 6:30pm every night can show gay storylines including a priest with kissing scenes and people don't even bat an eyelid, and an ad like this which is humorous and isn't actually anything to do with homosexuality is pulled because a few single minded people can't get past whats happening in the country today its an absolute travesty. Once again its one rule for TV (who get praised for approaching those topics) and another for Adland. If it is a USA exec thats had it pulled then shame on him. The world of advertising is all about creativity and looking forward. If were going to spend the whole time living by rules and regs made centuries ago we might aswell stop right now.
Gemma Gales - 25/06/2008
Fundamentally its rather frightening that anyone would be offended by the peck on the cheek presented within the scenario of this ad. And its frightening because they clearly just don't get the motivations behind the gesture - they're blinded by the gesture itself. Now that's scary.
ormiston groove - 25/06/2008
20 years ago when I worked at Channel 4, an order came through from my sales boss not to slot any P&G ads in the Waltons on a Sunday morning as the client objected to the fact that one of the actors in the series was gay
Oh My God .. it was Will Geer, the actor who played Grandpa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Geer
Natasha Harrison - 25/06/2008
I heard a debate on Five live this morning in which a listener complained that it would be hard to explain this to his children. When pressed he said he would tell them that the men were psychologically wrong and mad. This is the kind of bigotry society still has to deal with and Heinz should have stood up to them. (I actually thought that it may have been a joke initially as the man was so extreme!)
ormiston groove - 25/06/2008
He's not alone; the Pentagon still classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, 50 years after the medical profession abandoned that belief. Here: http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/20060620_pentagon_homosexuality_disorder/
ormiston groove - 25/06/2008
BTW - spare a thought for the actors in the ad--most commercials actors are paid by ratings, in which case they've just lost around 80% of their income on this job, thanks to Heinz's lack of spine.
Dickie Beau - 25/06/2008
Very clever ad creatives. Invite minor uproar with least sexy man-on-man kiss ever seen. Remove ad with much fanfare & apology. Get instant fame for product that nobody heard of before, which has a name that sounds just like a notoriously conservative national tabloid. Unfortunate side-effect: gay kids, and kids of gay parents, are 'othered' and shamed by the implicit idea of their existence being 'offensive'. What a can of fuggin worms. www.jackshitandthebottomdrawer.blogspot.com
Audio Android - 26/06/2008
"Very clever ad creatives. Invite minor uproar with least sexy man-on-man kiss ever seen. Remove ad with much fanfare & apology. Get instant fame for product that nobody heard of before"
.. Exactly !!!
I really cant believe that this is an Ad' forum and so few people realize this.
The whole thing, stinks of pretense.
Dickie Beau - 26/06/2008
Plus, I love the irony that the complainants are supposedly up in arms about gay content when the content is totally NOT gay - the ad's gag rests on an unsophisticated inversion of what is an incredibly conservative kinda 1950s family frame: momma belongs in the kitchen and prepares the food, poppa goes out to work. The ad is completely NON-subversive - it supports this paradigm to the hilt, so it's totally sexist.
Audio Android - 26/06/2008
Yes indeed, it is cliche filled stereotype/non-stereo type, aggravating, annoying toss.
However - it has proved to be an excellent campaign.
All this has been planned for, and the amount of product awareness it has raised, is stunning.
Whilst I personally hate it (doesnt say anything, I hated the Gorilla) - hats off to the team who put it together.
ormiston groove - 27/06/2008
I'm sure they planned for publicity, but they never planned to pull it--why book six weeks' media & waste all that money?
Rory Sutherland - 27/06/2008
One of the actors on the Waltons was a major IRA fundraiser. Was that grandpa too?