Filed under: Brands & Marketing, Industry news | Tags: advert, AMV BBDO, are you serious?, brokeback mountain, Deli Mayo, gay, Heinz, homophobic, i kissed a man once and it was great, kiss, no tongues, pulled the plug, tv, two men, two salamis in the deli, YouTube
After only one week of airtime, Heinz have pulled the plug on their latest TV advert in an apparent move to appease the sensibilities of a vocal homophobic minority. When I first watched the ad I couldn’t quite believe that people could feel so strongly about a short peck on the lips. I was truly expecting tongues and all sorts.
The ad, by London-based agency AMV BBDO (now there’s a catchy name), revolves around the central concept that Heinz Deli Mayo tastes so good “it’s as if you have your own New York deli man in your kitchen”. At the end of the ad, as the father prepares to leave the house with his sandwiches, the two men share a brief kiss.
According to the Guardian, viewers have complained that it is “offensive” and “inappropriate to see two men kissing”. What exactly is inappropriate about this, in an age where same-sex relationships are perfectly accepted and same-sex marriages legal? Other parents complained that the ads would require parents to discuss the issue of same-sex relationships with their children. I can’t see how this can possibly be justified.
As reported in the Independent, Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of the gay rights group Stonewall, has urged its supporters to stop buying Heinz products. Whether this will be carried out to the point where it actually harms Heinz remains to be seen.
I personally don’t feel as angry with Heinz as I do with the idiot viewers who took it upon themselves to complain. As someone in the office pointed out, the Heinz brand is centered around the idea of the family, and a protracted fight over this issue may go against the overall interest of the brand.
As the debate spreads across the Internet it seems that despite being withdrawn, the ad will find an audience on YouTube and other video sharing sites.
I think that Sarah Britten, a blogger from the South African newspaper The Times, sums it up well:
“Heinz showed even less spine than Thabo Mbeki on Zimbabwe.”
“Never underestimate the wilful stupidity of the viewing public”
Filed under: Coffee Break | Tags: hobby, Brando, fridge magnets, Sesame Street, Dracula, Count von Count, quirky, garlic will not save you, call the Frog brothers, if you got a TV guide you don't need a TV
Many of you know that we collect fridge magnets here at Neoco. A few less of you actually contribute to our growing collection whenever you get out of this land of Eng. Recently, it seems Sian of Brando has been bitten by the bug and is storming up the chart of ‘magnets sent in to Neoco’. Her latest entry comes from Romania and (legend has it) is carved in the likeness of the original Count Dracula.
Not sure if he would quite send me running but hey, each to their own. I’ve always like the Count from Sesame Street:
“Vun… Doo… Tree… Mwahahaha”
Keep those magnets coming in people!
Filed under: Brands & Marketing, New Technology, Technology | Tags: advert, Bakerloo line, better off walking, Billboard, deodorant, digital instalation, GBH, I want to get off, KitKat, london, negative space, Oxford Circus, Piccadilly Circus, poster, projection, Puma, sweat, TFL, the other day someone fainted cos they were so hot, train, tube, Underground, water
Occasionally, and I mean very occasionally, I put myself through the hell of a London Tube in summertime. This is an experience that I thoroughly recommend against. So whilst I have always maintained that there is a great business opportunity for deodorant and cool water vendors – most people squashed against me tend to be the sweatiest and smelliest on the carriage – I rarely take on any other advertising.
The other day at Piccadilly Circus though I saw a new installation being trialled. A projection display with changing advertising – that also cuts out 30 seconds before the train arrives.
Pretty nifty, eh? Yeah, it’s OK but without sound and animation it looks like one of those crap screensavers. And sure enough, with a bit of development, it will be pretty cool in the future – although we done a better digital installation project for Puma with their brand design agency GBH. But this is not the best tube ad. That honour (or ‘honor’ for our American readers) is reserved for the station one-stop north on the Bakerloo line: Oxford Circus. I thought this was so great I actually got off the tube to take a photo to show the power of ‘negative space’.
In a world saturated with advertising, sometimes it’s nice to view the same environments ’sans-ads’. Just imagine these same blank sheet spreads with a simple red chocolate bar image, small and in the centre, with those three little words… ‘Take a break’. I’d buy a KitKat that instant – as long as the deodorant and cool water vendor had some in stock.
What do you think about a break from advertising every now and then? Or any other great ads (or technology) you have seen?
