‘Boycott Heinz for removing gay ad’ - Stonewall
June 25th, 2008
Gay rights group Stonewall are urging a boycott of Heinz products after the food company withdrew a TV advert that featured a kiss between two men.
200 people complained to the Advertising Standards Agency about the advert, which promotes mayonnaise and features a brief kiss on the lips from two middle aged men.
The decision to take the advert off air was made by Heinz, not the ASA.
Ben Summerskill, CEO of Stonewall, said: “We’re shocked that an innocuous ad should have been withdrawn in this way.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. Our phones have not stopped ringing with supporters who are deeply upset.”
In an article for the Guardian, Summerskill adds: “Heinz’s decision to withdraw the ad might be seen by them as an easy way to palm off 200 fundamentalist Christian complainants, [but] it seems to have been made under the quaint impression that it will cause no offence to Britain’s 3.6 million lesbian and gay consumers. Or any of their friends. Or families. Or colleagues.”
“How sad that for Heinz in 2008, beanz meanz bigotz.”
If you’d like to complain directly to Heinz about their decision to take the advert off air, their customer careline is 0800 528 5757.
The problem here is these complainers dont GET the ad, they just kick right off without thinking about it. I dont think heinz meant it to be a man, it was obv meant to be the mum (with a hint of new york, hence new york deli bloke) same as the other ad (think it was DKNY with the people runnin toward each other then kissin ,it was the same person, not 2 people, i.e. expression of loving yourself)
I vote we all get together and visit these people one by one and show them what real gay kisses look like.
bigots
I emailed Heinz to complain about them dropping the ad - and they just sent back the same email they must have sent to people who had complained about the ad itself eg. apologising for a ‘misplaced attempt at humour’…
Taking it off air is the same as agree with the people who complained. Its sending off a message that screams homophobia.