Heinz Deli Mayo
The U.K. TV Advertisement that is Causing a Controversy
The Ad:
On 16 Jun 2008, Heinz launched a television campaign for its new range of dressing called Heinz Deli Mayo. Conceptualized by AMV BBDO, it is the ad agency’s first campaign for Heinz since taking over the account last year.
The campaign alludes that the dressing is like having a New York deli chef in one’s kitchen. To bring across that message, a light-hearted approach was used in the TV ad: the role of the mother was replaced by a male deli chef with a New York accent.
It is the typical morning routine for a family, with the young son and daughter preparing to leave for school and the father, the office. The chef was seen preparing and packing sandwiches in the kitchen for them. Both son and daughter addressed the chef as “mum”, while the father said “See you tonight, love”. Before the father could rush out of the kitchen, the chef chided him for forgetting something. This is when the two men shared a quick goodbye kiss, with the chef sending the father off with a “love you”.
The TV ad campaign was originally scheduled to run for five weeks, backed by print advertisements featuring the deli chef and the tag line ‘Give Your BLT a little NYC’. ‘BLT’ is the abbreviation for the classic bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwich (with mayonnaise as condiment), while ‘NYC’ refers to New York City.
Viewers’ Reactions:
The day after the TV ad was aired, more than two hundred complaints were made by viewers to the U.K. Advertising Standards Authority. The complaints deemed the kiss shared by the two male actors to be ‘offensive’, ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unsuitable for children’ (despite the ad being shown after the time belt for children’s programs). Some parents also expressed discomfort over having to explain the situation of same-sex relationships to their young children.
Arising from the complaints, Heinz withdrew the ad after it has been aired for less than a week.
Counter Responses:
Stonewall:
Heinz’s action prompted Ben Summerskill, head of U.K. gay rights group Stonewall, to call for a boycott of its products. He criticized Heinz for giving in to the pressures exerted by a small number of narrow-minded and homophobic individuals.
He added that Heinz has, by the same action, disregarded the feelings of gay and lesbian consumers, and that of their families and friends. In addition, Heinz has not taken into account the impact of its action on its gay and lesbian staff.
Online Petition:
An online petition asking for the reinstatement of the ad was started on 24 Jun 2008 by Sam Bannister, who is British.
Within the same day, the number of signatures has already exceeded the total number who had complained about the ad. Three days later, the total number of people supporting the petition has rapidly increased to more than 5,800 (and counting).
The majority of the petitioners are from the U.K., but the news has evidently spread around the world, with supporters hailing from other parts of Europe, the U.S.A., as well as Asia.
Many petitioners praised the ad for its creativity and the all-inclusive approach taken. Some commented that Heinz had taken one step forward but two steps back, and many had vowed to boycott Heinz products and/or switch brands until the TV ad is reinstated.
It will be interesting to see how Heinz will resolve the issue and get itself out of this public relations debacle.
