http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=221x78486meegbear (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-24-08 10:33 AM
Original message
Heinz pulls ad showing men kissing
Edited on Tue Jun-24-08 11:04 AM by meegbear
Heinz has withdrawn its Deli Mayo TV ad that featured two men sharing a kiss and apologised to viewers after the advertising regulator received about 200 complaints that it was offensive and inappropriate.
The Heinz Deli Mayo ad has been pulled after less than a week on air after viewers complained to the Advertising Standards Authority that it was "offensive" and "inappropriate to see two men kissing".
Other complaints include that the ad was "unsuitable to be seen by children" and that it raised the difficult problem of parents having to discuss the issue of same-sex relationships with younger viewers.
"It is our policy to listen to consumers. We recognise that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it," said Nigel Dickie, director of corporate affairs for Heinz UK.
Dickie added that the campaign for the new Heinz Deli Mayo product, which was due to run for five weeks, was meant to be humorous and that the company apologised to anyone who felt offended.
<snip>
Heinz's ad opens with a family on a normal morning routine with a young boy and girl getting ready for school and their father preparing for the office.
The young boy and girl go to the kitchen to get their sandwiches, which are being prepared by a man with a New York accent, dressed in a deli serving outfit, who they refer to as "mum".
When their father goes to get his sandwich he says to mum in the kitchen: "See you tonight love."
However, mum barks back "Hey, ain't you forgetting something?", at which point the two men share a kiss. Mum then sends the father off with the words: "Love you. Straight home from work, sweet cheeks."
The Heinz TV ad carried an "ex-kids" restriction, meaning it cannot be shown in or around children's programming, because Heinz Deli Mayo falls foul of Ofcom's TV ad restrictions relating to products that are high in fat, salt and sugar.
The ASA has not yet decided whether to investigate the complaints about the Heinz ad.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jun/24/asa.adverti...
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I'm sure BillO will be crowing about how he defeated the gay menace in Britiannia.
We are to believe that Heinz never once considered this ad would cause controversy. We are to believe that all the folks connected to this ad are so past the idea that homosexuality is not normal and universally accepted that they made this commercial with the same ease of mind and business-as-usual attitude they always have. Shock value and agenda were the fartherest things from their minds.
LynneSin (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-24-08 10:38 AM
Response to Original message
1. Geez, get over it - when & where are they showing this commercial?......
Geez, why do you get over it. Objection will happen. Why must normal people always "get over it" and you degenerate agenda pushers never have to? I say it is time for "get over it" to be an equal retort from the normal side.
ftbc (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-24-08 11:02 AM
Response to Original message
3. WTF is so difficult about discussing same-sex relationships?....
Difficulty is not the issue. The lack of necessity is the problem.
Mabus (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-24-08 11:05 AM
Response to Original message
4. I watched the ad and didn't find it offensive
I don't understand what all the rumpus is about or why parents would feel the need to discuss same sex couples to kids.
Then what is its purpose? Was it cheaper to hire two male actors than one male and one female? What is the purpose? It must have one, right?
closeupready (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-24-08 11:11 AM
Response to Original message
5. Yet, baring breasts on Page Six is completely acceptable - can someone explain
how that works?
Ok, I'll explain it to you, DUmbass. As inappropriate as it is to be baring breast on television, it doesn't apply to this conversation unless there are other women kissing the breasts. Get it? Showing naked breasts on a television program one must seek out to view is not equal to a display of homosexuality in a commercial which runs randomly and without warning.
I don't give up! Bring out the Hellmann's.
