Gay Web Watch: Not Snickering About Gay-Negative Campaign
Taking a quick break from anniversary festivities to direct you to a growing furor driven yet again by the GLBT Blogosphere concerning a disgustingly anti-gay advertising campaign launched during last night’s Super Bowl by M&M Mars, their advertising agency TBWA Chiat/Day New York (owned by the Omnicom Group), and the Snickers Public Relations agency Weber Shandwick (owned by the Interpublic Group).
I need to get back to celebrating, but Americablog’s John Aravosis gives the full rundown here.
And there’s more from fellow Rhodesian Ridgeback lover Pam Spaulding, Andy Towle, and Jeremy at Good As You.
UPDATE: The HRC (The largest US GLBT rights organization) has responded quickly, making a statement which you can read here.
UPDATE II: The site has been redirected, and the offensive videos have been taken down. Still no statement from neither of the marketing services agencies nor M&M/Mars. This situation isn’t over until we get an explanation, but the net-based pressure here produced a result. Every blogger, commenter, e-mailer and anyone else involved in this episode “flash activism” deserves both credit and thanks. More on this from John at Americablog.
UPDATE III: GLAAD finally has a press release out about this, including quotes from Pink Star Mother Judy Shepard. But here’s the rather interesting bit:
“In early January, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York asked GLAAD to review and provide analysis on a Snickers spot. GLAAD agreed. The next day, the agency abruptly withdrew its request without having shown GLAAD the ad.”
If I had to venture a guess, TBWA Chiat/Day did its job by speaking to GLAAD, but the Snickers client instructed TBWA (in one way or another) to stop talking to GLAAD. Or TBWA/Omnicom has really good friends at GLAAD.
UPDATE IV: New York Times article covering the backlash, including statement from Snickers parent Masterfoods.
Technorati Tags: snickers, homophobia, TBWA, Weber Shandwick, M&M, Mars, Super Bowl, Super Bowl Ads
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February 7th, 2007 at 12:38 pm
I agree wholeheartedly - Omnicom and their agencies seem to have little concern for gay consumers. The existence of the FH Outfront gay sub-agency seems completely at odds with the main agencies anti-gay actions here.
Happy anniversary to you boys and enjoy Paris - what a place to make a memory!
Ian Johnson
February 7th, 2007 at 9:08 pm
The Washington Post today quotes “Los Angeles ad woman Claudia Caplan” as saying we overreacted: “My take on it is, why is it homophobic for two heterosexual men to kiss by mistake? If a homosexual man kissed a heterosexual woman by mistake, would that be considered hetero-phobic?” I’m going to look around the house for a spare clue to send her because she clearly doesn’t have any.
February 8th, 2007 at 4:12 am
One would think with all the to do over Grey’s Anatomy that someone in the ad agency or at Mars would have said “Hey maybe we need to look at this again”
But I guess I’m expecting too much.
I’d say in general there seemed to be a rather violent streak in many of the commericals during the Super Bowl. For instance, the beer commercial where two guys fight over the last beer where they did rock, paper, scissors and the guy ends up throwing a rock getting the last beer. Again how is that funny.
February 8th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Humor is subjective. Imagine if you will, that you are an average redneck in America, living to suppress your inner queen. And you are just one snickers closer to embracing you inner queen. Now watch that commercial again. Now, with a different point of reference, that is a funny commercial. “HEY! Rednecks! Come OUT, come OUT, wherever you are.
Thanks,
Ryan
February 20th, 2007 at 7:40 am
I agree with Ryan. Lighten up.
February 20th, 2007 at 9:57 am
@ Ryan and Mark - Humor is indeed subjective. This is why you don’t see me bitching here about gay people being the subject of jokes week after week on Saturday Night Live.
It was when these adverts crossed into violence (see the end of GEV 42 for the full advert) and taped homophobic reactions of NFL players were proudly displayed on the web that humor veered into the territory of irresponsibility.
But in the end, I understand why there’s a “lighten up” crowd. We live in a culture in which a lot of homophobic bullying in schools is explained away by it being “just a joke”and that kids that get called anti-gay pejoratives should just “lighten up”. Many of people just don’t understand what a problem this is for children or haven’t experienced it themselves just don’t have empathy for the offense being taken by people here.