BrainTrust Query: Is it OK for advertisers to have fun with gay themes?
Mars, Inc. has decided once again to pull a Snicker's ad as a result of an outcry from the gay community. This time, it was an ad aired in the U.K., featuring of all people, Mr. T.
The ad begins with a close-up of a speed-walker's behind as he wiggles his way down a suburban street. Out of nowhere, A-Team style, Mr. T explodes through the wall of a neighboring house in a pick-up truck equipped with a huge machine gun. "You're a disgrace to the man race," he exclaims. "It's time to run like a real man!" He pelts the walker with Snickers bars fired from his machine gun, as the tagline reads "Snickers - Get Some Nuts."
It's not the first time Mars has retracted an ad after taking heat for running alleged homophobic content. During the 2007 Super Bowl, the company pulled an ad featuring two mechanics who accidentally kiss after sharing a Snicker's bar a la "Lady and the Tramp." The company also pulled some spin-off spots off its website that garnered the wrath of gay groups due to its violent content.
Nor is Mars the only American company to pull an ad in the U.K. involving a man-to-man kiss after getting heat from the U.S. In another case, however, it was not gay rights groups doing the complaining, but rather the American Family Association, a powerful American Christian group.
The ad in question was for Heinz Deli Mayo and was not intended to air in the U.S. The ad features a New York style deli clerk, Brooklyn accent and all, playing the role of "Mum," handing out lunches to his two British children and "husband." As "Dad" hastily walks out, Mum asks De Niro style, "Hey, ain't you forgettin' something?!" The two kiss, and Mum tenderly shouts out, "Love you!"
Interestingly, both ads were created by the UK agency AMV BBDO. And in neither case did the ads seem to ruffle feathers in the UK.
Discussion Questions: Should advertisers refrain from airing ads with any kind of "gay edge" to them? Are Americans too sensitive about what gets put on TV?