a splendid duck-billed platypus

04:10 pm: Heinz means bigot
Nigel Dickie: "Heinz is a global company and we respect all universal rights. The advertisement was intended to be humorous, not designed to cause offence to anyone. Clearly it failed in its intent to amuse and that is why we took the decision to withdraw it."

You know what "respect all universal rights" means? It means not sexual orientation and not gender identity. Those aren't "universal" rights.

Last Monday, Heinz started running a new advertising campaign for Heinz Mayo. (A fat-filled, sugary product that it would take an ad this cute and funny to sell, truly.) The ad was supposed to run for five weeks.

The ad opens with a stereotype-family - a boy and a girl going to school, a father going to 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 the man in the kitchen: "See you tonight love."

However, the man barks back "Hey, ain't you forgetting something?", at which point the two men share a kiss. The man then sends the father off with the words: "Love you. Straight home from work, sweet cheeks."

It isn't exactly a gay ad: it isn't exactly a straight ad. This isn't a same-sex couple bringing up kids together: it's a half-uneasy joke, "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'."

But on Friday, Heinz pulled the ad. Apparently the advertising watchdog got over 200 "complaints" that the ad was offensive and that two men kissing were "inappropriate". (Bill O'Reilly apparently said on air on Friday "So why are they doing that? Why -- it was. It was obviously a gay thing. Now I don't know what the message is, other than gay people like mayonnaise. ... I'm confused. This whole gender blending thing. It's confusing to me. ... I just want mayonnaise. I don't want guys kissing.")

Nigel Dickie, Director of Corporate Affairs for Heinz UK, said the reason for pulling it was: “It is our policy to listen to consumers. We recognize that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it. The advertisement, part of a short-run campaign, was intended to be humorous and we apologize to anyone who felt offended.” Heinz.com

1. Sign the Re-instate the Heinz Deli Mayo TV ad.

2. Contact Nigel Dickie: 020 8848 2726, Nigel.Dickie@uk.hjheinz.com (from their press release) Tell Dickie you weren't offended. (You can view it here or here.)

3. Contact Heinz direct: www.heinz.com, click on the Contact Us link. Tell them you won't buy a Heinz product until the ad's being broadcast again.

4. If you normally buy Heinz, don't.

5. Pass it on!

I know, I know: it's just a TV ad. And however cute the ad, it's an appalling product. But Heinz's instant capitulation to homophobic bigots was so naked. Dress it up with a squirt of organic tomato ketchup and make your own baked beans.

Current Mood: annoyed

Tags: ***** this fir a kerry oan, angry queer, food politics, i watch tv, writing complaining letters

Purr at me

Comments

From:	melancharisbron
Date:	dayordJune 2008 09:47 am (UTC)

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But Heinz's instant capitulation to homophobic bigots was so naked.

*sigh* I think often that our society has confused concepts with regard to communication - I can't quite put my finger on it (I tried first to frame it as an opposition, as in "freedom of speech" is not the opposite of "causing offense" but that doesn't fly... bear with me, it's only my first coffee this morning); but we seem to not understand the fullness of the equation of free speech, that, yes, sometimes one will find cause for offense. It's the skill distinguishing discomfort from genuine danger (i.e. hate-speech and incitement to violence against a segment of the population, for political/social ends) that we still seem to stumble over...

I added, "My poor, poor country" until I realized that this was happening in Britain. Urk. See above about coffee-lacking morning brain.

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From:	yonmei
Date:	dayordJune 2008 01:42 pm (UTC)

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It's the skill distinguishing discomfort from genuine danger (i.e. hate-speech and incitement to violence against a segment of the population, for political/social ends) that we still seem to stumble over...

I think "skill" is the wrong word.

solo will switch off, at this point, if she's reading this *waves* but the answer is privilege. The same people who argue that they ought not to be "offended" by the sight of two men kissing, will argue that they ought to have the right to tell a captive audience of schoolchildren that homosexuals are hellbound monsters, and deny that this could have any connection with the particularly high rate of homophobic bullying in religious schools.

I added, "My poor, poor country" until I realized that this was happening in Britain.

Heinz is an American company, though, and I gather at least some of the "consumer complaints" were coming from the US, though I'm prepared to bet a lot of them were coming from our own homegrown Christian bigots. 200 complaints to the ASA in a week has all the hallmarks of an orchestrated campaign.

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From:	melancharisbron
Date:	dayordJune 2008 07:10 pm (UTC)

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...all the hallmarks of an orchestrated campaign

Yeah. I feel as if an apology is still due, for at least some of that result would have been inspired or flat-out provoked by folks exporting their ideology... (Yeah, I know every place has its homegrown bigots. But I can't help think that they get a lot of encouragement from others outside...)

I'll think more about the privilege thing - it's not that I don't agree with you there, but there's something more about the dynamic that I need to think about, to perceive better than I do. It'll probably come back at least a bit to the whole notion of privilege living in a lacuna because that's the best way it protects itself. (From what experiences I've also had with privilege from the advantaged side...)

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From:	yonmei
Date:	dayordSeptember 2008 07:51 pm (UTC)

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This thread has been picked on by evil spambots: I'm freezing it.

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From:	anysia
Date:	dayordJuly 2008 07:37 am (UTC)

My email to HEINZ

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Why did you ban the new Heinz ad? Banning the ad just feeds into the feeding frenzy of homophobia. I got what the commercial meant. "It's like having your own NY Deli Counterman in your kitchen." came through loud and clear. Just because a few homophobes had an issue with it, doesn't mean they are right. Stop catering to the lowest common denominator! These same whiners would have trouble visiting Italy or Greece, as it is common for the men in those countries to kiss in greeting.
Put the ad back on, or else I will start buying HUNTS ketchup instead.

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