What could be more cozy that a mother preparing lunches for her family in the morning, making and packing sandwiches for the kids and dad as they run out the door to start the day? What if, though, "mother" is a guy with a New York accent, in deli garb?
Heinz corporation has withdrawn a television advertisement for its Deli Mayo and issued an apology to consumers for the content of the commercial. The reason? The ad features two men kissing at the end of the commercial, and two young children addressing one of the men as "mum." The ad was pulled after one week running in the U.K. after the Advertising Standards Authority announced that it had received complaints "that it was 'offensive' and 'inappropriate to see two men kissing'."
Other complaints include that the ad was "unsuitable to be seen by children" and that it raised the difficult problem of parents having to discuss the issue of same-sex relationships with younger viewers.
"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 also added that the ad was intended to be "humorous," and was meant to portray the message that having Heinz Deli Mayo was like having "your own New York deli man in your kitchen."
Evidently, viewers in the UK were not amused, and the ad was pulled after a one-week run.
Personally, I have to say, I'm not a fan of mayonnaise. Never have been. I've always been more partial to mustard. I do know, however, that there are a number of males who share my disdain for mayonnaise, and it revolves around, shall we say, psychological reasons. The very sight of mayo is far from appealing to us as something to ingest. To include a couple of gay guys into a commercial attempting to promote mayo?
I think I'll have a cheeseburger for dinner tonight, with pickles, onions, tomato, and French's golden mustard...
One has to wonder, though, if Senator John Kerry, or his wife,
Theresa Heinz Kerry, have been asked for comment? If they have been, is "mum" the word?
