H J Heinz Deli Mayo UK Gay Kiss Advert Fiasco

H J Heinz has mayonnaise all over its face after running and then pulling what is a rather poor advert that ~gasp~ features the ultimate shock and horror (please note my sarcastic tone) of two men 'kissing'. Petitions have started and the Heinz phone line is receiving more than a few angry calls.

So, whats this all about?



Short, sweet and rather stupid, I missed the point for ages. No, the advert is short, sweet and rather pointless! I have a point despite being short and sweet.

In the UK, The Guardian covers the story and tells us that:

The TV advert is the first by Heinz's new ad agency AMV BBDO since it won the £10m-a-year UK business last year. AMV BBDO said that the concept behind the campaign is that the product tastes so good, "it's as if you have your own New York deli man in your kitchen".

Well, call me thick, but I never got that message from the advert until until I read that. I just thought that the British 'dad' had a weird taste in partners and was in a Civil Partnership with a guy in a hat with a bad accent!

But some 200 souls have complained to the Advertising Standards Authority, the body that controls advertising in the UK, about the advert. Apparently they failed to spot the humour and some idiots decided it was offensive because it meant that parents had to explain homosexuality to kids. As if "That's so GAY!" wasn't heard in year one playgrounds!

As The Guardian says:

"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, which was due to run for five weeks, was meant to be humorous and that the company apologised to anyone who felt offended.

Are you listening now, Nigel?

But Heinz has the Deli Mayo on its face. What's happened so far:

• Folks have found the H J Heinz Customer Service line and made use of it, either by using the form, or by calling 0800 528 5757 (UK only I imagine)
• Nigel Dickie of Heinz was quoted in The Guardian. Folk have been emailing Nigel directly at Nigel.Dickie@uk.hjheinz.com but Facebook has also published his full contact details including cellphone. Not, I think, a great day for Nigel!
• There is a petition addressed to Heinz at http://www.petitiononline.com/heinz with (as I write this) 1,101 signatures and rising (against 200 or so complaints)
• There is a Facebook Group (you need to be a member of Facebook to see it I think) with (as I write) 498 members and rising calling for Heinz to reinstate the advert.

There are folk saying:

OK, some may think this is all an over-reaction. But, the way I see it,

either this is a cynical marketing ploy, in which a "dangerous gay" commercial was shown, anticipating a reaction from bigots and homophobes which would incite debate to get their product noticed, and they always intended to pull the advert to increase the furore

or a major international company has cravenly caved in to a very small number of bigots.

Neither of these is really acceptable, and if it takes a legion of furious fags, friends, families and fellow-travellers to show both Heinz and other multinationals that the time is long past when we'll meekly stand for this, well, that's what it takes and count me in!

One should ask "Who would spend all that money on an advert just to get any sort of publicity, however bad?"

But thsi could be an excellent use of Viral Marketing - Just look at the coverage it's getting!

One of my friends in the USA said:

I signed the complaint. I just wonder if they remember Anita Bryant and the orange juice fiasco. The gay community banded together and ruined her career.

I had to find out who Anita Bryant is. Wikipedia told me. It seems she has grown up a lot but was homophobic. According to the article there her hate campaigns caused sales of Florida Orange Juice to slump, and, according to The St Petersburg Times, caused her bankruptcy and her career to fail.

And H J Heinz, knowingly or unknowingly, has angered not only the pink pound, but a very large number of folk indeed.

But the advert was fatuous, and pretty poor. It was a very bad decision to run it at all. But, having run it, it was a very bad decision indeed to pull it from the airwaves because 200 petty minded bigoted idiots complained.

The brand damage is already significant. The power of an internet army is immense. Heinz may not be reeling yet, but it will be hurting.

And I bet Nigel Dickie's cellphone will be red hot.