Haven’t seen the ad, and don’t care to either. I just want to add, slightly off topic perhaps, but also maybe not, that disagreeing with homosexuality does not make someone homophobic or bigoted. One can disagree without being afraid (the meaning of phobia, after all, is fear), and one can also disagree but not treat people worse. I’m not saying the 200 who complained weren’t homophobic and bigoted, but I’m also not saying they are, and since none of you know who they actually were, you also can’t comment on them.
Just because you disagree with them doesn’t make them wrong. And it is a well known understanding in fields like this, that for every 1 complaint, assume another 100 silent people who also disagree, which turns the 200 into 20000 (slightly more effective I think)
Anyhow that’s my 2 cents worth. I expect some blasting for this…

Clearly they don’t bother to read the emails and assume everybody that sends one in was complaining about the ad.

Actually it is the apology that makes me most annoyed, and I’ve now received four of them.

This was their response:

Dear Jon

Thank you for your recent email regarding the Heinz UK commercial for Deli Mayo. Consumer feedback is very important to us and we appreciate the opportunity to respond.

Heinz pulled the ad in the UK because our consumer research showed that the ad failed in its attempt to be humorous and offended people on all sides.

Heinz apologises for its misplaced attempt at humour and we accept that this ad was not in accordance with our long-standing corporate policy of respecting everyone’s rights and values.

Again, our sincere apology to anyone who felt offended. We appreciate you taking time to contact us to express your opinion and allowing us to address this issue.

Liz Pickstock
Consumer Contact Department

I have a few points to raise.

They like to take the opportunity to respond but not the opportunity to read what they are responding to.

They conduct consumer research AFTER airing an advert.

They respect the rights and values of bigoted homophobes and apologise to them for showing the ad.

They do not apologise to anyone who annoyed that the pulled the ad.

I’ve been covering this on my own blog (linked from my name here), and I think Heinz has been amazingly stupid, OR calculated that this would increase PR at zero budget.

The amazing thing is that they ran it at all. Not because it featured two cartoon-like characters kissing, but because it was rubbish. But deciding to pull it was an act of gross incompetence.

That simply reinforces the idea that seeing two men kiss on TV is unacceptable.

Heinz are entitled to pull the advert, it wasn’t particularly good and it does seem to have confused a lot of people with its message. However they aren’t entitled to do so in a way that reinforces the opinions of such bigots. They should simply have explained that people didn’t understand the advert.

There is a petition and a facebook group. I’ve signed the petition and joined the group, even though it goes on about a gay kiss, which it wasn’t.

The petition is rapidly heading towards 10,000. Rather more than the 200 bigots.

But hang on now…..Big Soup….that sounds like…..Big….and Big is……well filthy and suggestive.

Make that 201.