Two Men Kissing Next to Creamy White Condiment Is Not Kosher for British TV

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Are we really going to have to "thank" right-wing zealots like Bill O'Reilly for getting Heinz to yank a mayo ad featuring two dudes kissing? Perhaps. After just a week of airing the ad on British television, the ketchup company has removed the spot — and apologized for it. Heinz has said the ad – where a busy working father rushes his kids off to school, then kisses the (male) cook in the kitchen who prepared their lunches – which wasn't even supposed to be gay themed; the guy making the sandwiches was supposed to represent a New York deli man, not a house-husband.

But then Britain's Advertising Standards Authority received 200 complaints about the ad, which mostly outlined how inappropriate it was to show two fellas smooching on national TV. "It is our policy to listen to consumers," kowtowed a Heinz UK spokesperson. "We recognise that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it." Nevermind that the ad was already banished from children's programming because Heinz Deli Mayo violates a "no products high in fat, salt and sugar" mandate.

And forgive us for noticing the double standard here: While an ad that benignly portrays two men kissing gets booted from the airwaves, an ad like Snickers' spot from the 2007 Super Bowl, which adds a negative implication about two men kissing, is just fine to air. (In the U.S. at least.) Highlighting aspects of a gay household: bad. Demeaning aspects of a gay household: OK.

View the Heinz ad below.

Jun 24, 2008 · Link · 1 Response
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  • Comments (1)

    No. 1 ya says:

    they have censored it only because a bunch of sick save-the-children! homophobes don't like it. let them hear us! write an email to pressoffice@uk.hjheinz.com with copy to butlerc@amvbbdo.com, Ted.Smyth@us.hjheinz.com, Nigel.Dickie@uk.hjheinz.com and Consumer.Contact@uk.hjheinz.com

    subject: Censoring of Heinz Deli Mayo TV ad

    dear mr. or mrs. i’m really disappointed, why did you remove the Heinz Deli Mayo TV ad made by BBDO only because a bunch of sick homophobes pressured you to do that? you are endorsing a homophobe agenda and i won’t buy any of your products again until you repair the damage you have done. you have lost one customer, and i’m pretty sure i won’t be the only one. have a nice day xxxxxx

    and sign the petition too: http://www.petitiononline.com/heinz/petition.html

    we are a lot more than 200 sick homophobes, and they have lost us as customers!

    Posted: Jun 25, 2008 at 8:11 pm
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