Snickers "Kissing Mechanics" ad pulled as "homophobic"

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MadelynIris

MadelynIris

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http://money.cnn.com/2007/02/06/news/companies/snickers/index.htm?cnn=yes

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- After a number of groups objected, Masterfoods USA, the maker of Snickers candy bars, has pulled the plug on a controversial Super Bowl commercial that showed two men accidentally kissing.

The 30-second commercial featured two mechanics who end up sharing both a Snickers bar and an inadvertent kiss, and then react by pulling out a clump of chest hair to "do something manly."


Masterfoods said it has discontinued its Super Bowl ad campaign that featured two men kissing following an outcry among gay and human rights groups.
On its Web site, the candy maker posted three alternate endings to the commercial and reactions from NFL players.

Groups such as the Human Right Campaign and the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) condemned the ad, saying it promoted anti-gay prejudice and condoned violence against gay Americans.

"That Snickers, Mars and the NFL would promote and endorse this kind of prejudice is simply inexcusable," GLAAD President Neil Giuliano said in a statement.

------

Whatever.
 
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I was wondering how long it would take for this ad to make some type of "headlines".:|

Although my bet was from the other side, oh well.:shrug:
 
Bottom Line: The Snickers ad succeeded because it generated publicity and attention. Most of those Super Bowl ads are horseshit anyway.
 
It should have Ellen D and a gay man.

But, of course they would have smiled
and realized they actually kind of liked it.

Because it is natural. :shrug:
 
the one that aired was okay, i understand that people think that homosexual panic is funny.

the online stuff ... not so much.
 
MadelynIris said:
You know, I've experienced homosexual panic, and misinterpreted for homophobia (or had it misdiagnosed for me).

:huh:
Click to expand...



since you are in the mood to share

please elaborate
 
nathan1977 said:
Is "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" homophobic?
Click to expand...



you know, i haven't actually seen the movie.

but, if i were to guess, since many movies play off this, and it can be funny, i admit, my guess is that it uses homophobia to garner a few cheap laughs.

though, think about it -- how would we react if a white man freaked out and screamed and thought to do something "white" if he were mistaken for, say, a black man?

or what if a Christian freaked out and had to do something Christian if he were mistaken for, say, a Muslim?

or is it okay because, ewwwww, homosexuality is so icky for straight people?
 
Christ if I were gay I wouldn't find that offensive. It's a shame these generalizing, ugly interest groups ruin everyone else's fun all the time.

It was a great ad, waving chocolate cock-in-face and all.

Homosexuality seems like this big party to us straight people that we're all missing out on :(
 
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Canadiens1160 said:
Christ if I were gay I wouldn't find that offensive. It's a shame these generalizing, ugly interest groups ruin everyone else's fun all the time.
Click to expand...


to be clear, i didn't find the ad all that offensive. i thought, "sigh, more homosexual panic, but at least the men involved are presented as idiots, so they look like fools," but then, it does give homosexual panic a patina of the hilarious and it reinforces the acceptableness of the "ick" reaction to homosexuality. i wasn't offended, just tired of it.

on the whole, no big thing.

Homosexuality seems like this big party to us straight people that we're all missing out on :(
Click to expand...

while some things are certainly easier when you're gay, it's still prudent to never believe the hype. are some gays having more fun than their straight brothers? quite possibly. but most of us are just going to work and paying rent, and most of us would rather have less fun and feel more at ease and at home in places outside of urban centers.
 
Like Irvine has mentioned, the one ad that aired isn't that bad. But they had a series of online ads that basically culminate in these guys beating each other senseless over the fact that they accidentally kissed.

That's just a wee bit extreme.
 
I'm still trying to figure out why anyone would think those ads (I only saw the first one, but read descriptions of the other three) would make me want a Snickers bar?

A really stupid ad campaign on so many levels.
 
From what I understand the problem was with the web site and the alternate endings/ads and the actual NFL players and their reactions to the ads that were put up as videos on the web site. I didn't watch them but from what I read there were reactions such as "gross" etc. to the men kissing and other types of reactions. In 2007 I don't think we need NFL players (or any athletes) saying such things-if they believe and express that in private, well that's one thing. I don't agree with it but at least it's kept private, not that that makes it any more acceptable (not saying that at all). There are gay men in the NFL and at least out of respect for them the NFL shouldn't be involved in such an ad campaign. Considering we just had the first ever Super Bowl with two African American coaches, they should be more progressive and enlightened.
 
Another Super Bowl ad issue. About those parents- I would never sit in judgment of any parent who has lost a child to suicide. The pain must be incredible. It is a valid point that people still feel it is acceptable to make fun of mental illness and depression, whether this ad was doing that or not.

By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY


The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention has sent a letter to General Motors (GM) criticizing an ad that shows a perfectionist assembly line robot dreaming about jumping off a bridge after dropping a bolt. The group said the spot may encourage people to consider suicide as a solution to their problems. The group demanded that GM apologize, not air the spot again and remove it from its website.

"We wouldn't see this ad around cancer or heart disease," says Robert Gebbia, executive director. "Why's it OK to make fun of mental illness or depression?"


The letter comes two days after Masterfoods, maker of Snickers, said it would not reair its Super Bowl ad and took it off its website. Some gay activists had objected, saying the response of two men in it to their accidental kiss was homophobic.

Despite these objections, controversy over this year's ads pales compared with what happened after Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during halftime of the 2004 Super Bowl. That sparked debate over broadcast decency that engulfed the ads and 540,000 consumer complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.

Several marketers took flak for the decency of their ads. Among them was Anheuser-Busch (BUD), the game's biggest advertiser. CEO August Busch IV apologized and said A-B would rethink the tone and content of its ads. Several companies' ads have not been seen again.

In the years since, Super Bowl marketers, who this year paid up to $2.6 million for 30 seconds of time, have faced closer examination of their ads. In the Internet age, Super Bowl ads are seen by millions more eyeballs, and criticism is instant.

"Super Bowl advertising is the ultimate stage," says Renee White Fraser, an advertising psychologist. "You get a higher level of scrutiny."

GM has "no plans" to drop the robot spot, spokeswoman Ryndee Carney says. The ad currently is scheduled to air next during the Feb. 25 Academy Awards broadcast on ABC, she says.

GM has received "more than a handful (of complaints) but not a tsunami," she says. She says GM "did not intend to offend anyone."

GM should drop the ad now, says former Energy secretary Donald Hodel, who also was Interior secretary in the Reagan administration. Hodel's teenage son committed suicide 23 years ago.

"They should never have run that commercial, and they shouldn't run it again," says Hodel, who says he and his wife were shocked when they saw it. "If I had a child who committed suicide some time after watching that ad, I'd seriously consider consulting a lawyer and suing GM."
 
Well I'm sure homeless white dogs will file the next complaint. I mean wasn't the message of that commercial that you can't be accepted unless you have spots?

It's a robotic arm!!! Come on!!!
 
Does giving into one of these groups, such as Snickers did, open it up for all these other groups to demand the same thing?

I mean, Kevin Federline had to make a public apology to fastfood workers because his commerical offended them :huh:

I think we as a society are starting to get a little too sensitive.
 
Chizip said:
Does giving into one of these groups, such as Snickers did, open it up for all these other groups to demand the same thing?

I mean, Kevin Federline had to make a public apology to fastfood workers because his commerical offended them :huh:

I think we as a society are starting to get a little too sensitive.
Click to expand...

Agreed, next serial killers will be demanding an apology for the Bud Lite commercial with hitchhikers carrying an axe and a chainsaw...
 
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