Heinz Ad Withdrawn Because of Protests

Raoul Railey
eFlux
Thursday, June 26, 2008

A Heinz ad that was aired on British television had to be withdrawn by the company because of the protests of some people who found the content of the ad to be offensive.

The ad depicts a kitchen scene in which a male cook gives sandwiches to a little boy and girl, who call him “Mum.” Another man enters the scene and after receiving a sandwich himself rushes to work only to be stopped by the cook who demands a kiss from him.

“Straight home from work, sweet cheeks,” the cook says to the businessman and then the ad presents some types of Heinz mayonnaise.

The British Advertising Standard Authority received more that 200 complaints from people who have felt offended by content of the ad. Some of the persons that protested against it have said that it is inappropriate for their children to see two men kissing, as this image could be disturbing for kids their age.

Heinz has rushed to pull the ad off the air the same week that the complaints were filed, putting a premature end to the project that was supposed to run for 5 weeks. The company said that it found the ad to be funny and that it didn’t believe that it hurt anyone. According to Heinz the ad was withdrawn only because the company cares about what its customers think.

A British gay rights group called Stonewall has made an appeal to all gay persons in the Great Britain to boycott Heinz products.

The group considered that the ad was harmless and that the company’s decision to pull it off the air is offending the gay community.
SOURCE: eFlux