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Déjà vu: Snickers ad pulled over homophobic concerns

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Oski2005, Jul 29, 2008.

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  1. Oski2005

    Oski2005 Member

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    Remember nonsense about the Snickers Superbowl ad where the mechanics kiss? Well it's happening again and this time the ad didn't even air on us tvs yet.

    Mr T Snickers ad pulled for being offensive to gay people

    Mars has pulled a UK TV ad for Snickers featuring Mr T harassing a speed walker for being a "disgrace to the man race" after US complaints that it was offensive to gay people.

    The American confectionary giant pulled the Snickers ad even though it was never shown on TV in the US - as happened last month with the Heinz Deli Mayo ad featuring two men kissing.

    The Snickers ad, made by the same agency that caused an international furore with the Heinz male kiss commercial, was first broadcast in the UK on July 13.

    The commercial, by ad agency AMV BBDO, features Mr T in full-on BA Baracus mode, the character he played in The A-Team.

    It opens with Mr T crashing through a building on the back of a flatbed truck mounted with a Snickers-firing machine gun.

    Mr T pulls alongside a man in tight yellow shorts who is speed walking and growls: "Speed walking. I pity you fool. You a disgrace to the man race. It's time to run like a real man."

    He then opens fire, peppering the man with Snickers bars and forcing him to break into a run.

    In the UK the TV ad barely ruffled feathers, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

    The ASA received just two complaints and did not investigate the commercial for a possible breach of the advertising code.

    However, the ad caused a storm overseas. A US advertising industry title published an open letter challenging Omnicom, AMV BBDO's American parent company.

    The Human Rights Campaign criticised Mars for perpetuating "the notion that the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community is a group of second class citizens and that violence against GLBT people is not only acceptable, but humorous".

    Mars said that the ad was meant to be "fun", that it never intended to cause offence and has pulled the campaign.

    "This ad is the second in a series of UK Snickers Ads featuring Mr T, which are meant to be fun and have been positively received in the UK," said a spokeswoman for Mars.

    "However, we understand that humour is highly subjective, and it is never our intention to cause offence. Accordingly, we have pulled the Mr T Speedwalker ad globally."

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jul/28/advertising1

    <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/hi4DEdUmA6A&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/hi4DEdUmA6A&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

    Since when has speedwalking been a "gay" thing? I know "gay" is used as a pejorative to say something is sissy or unmanly, but it's never used in the ad.


    Another ad from the same campaign:
    <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/NySN_plfiNI&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/NySN_plfiNI&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
     
    #1 Oski2005, Jul 29, 2008
  2. Apollo Creed

    Apollo Creed Contributing Member

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    Dude that Mr. T commercial is awesome!!!

    What a shame.
     
    #2 Apollo Creed, Jul 29, 2008
  3. Asian Sensation

    Asian Sensation Member

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    What's with all these homophobic concerns?
     
    #3 Asian Sensation, Jul 29, 2008
  4. Cannonball

    Cannonball Member

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    Man, there are a lot male pansies out there (see soccer ad). So if a heterosexual male is acting like he temporarily misplaced his nutsack and I call him on it, all of a sudden I'm homophobic?
     
    #4 Cannonball, Jul 29, 2008
  5. Royals Ego

    Royals Ego Member

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    dont be gay
     
    #5 Royals Ego, Jul 29, 2008
  6. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Member

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    How dare The Human Rights Campaign assume or insinuate that speedwalking is practiced solely by the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender group based solely on a commercial featuring a person in yellow trunks! I'm offended by HRC!
     
    #6 meggoleggo, Jul 29, 2008
  7. mtbrays

    mtbrays Member
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    I enjoyed that commercial.

    European television seems to be more racy than American television in general, so are we going to start complaining about everything they air?
     
    #7 mtbrays, Jul 29, 2008
  8. cwebbster

    cwebbster Member

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    GLBT? Is that like a gay BLT??
     
    #8 cwebbster, Jul 29, 2008
  9. rrj_gamz

    rrj_gamz Member

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    Snickers FTW!!!

    I'm still laughing my arse off...WTF is up with people these days...Hell, i don't eat candy, but I'll buy a snickers next time at the store...Get some nuts!!!
     
    #9 rrj_gamz, Jul 29, 2008
  10. meggoleggo

    meggoleggo Member

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    Actually, IIRC, one of their campaigns was "gotta have nuts!" :D
     
    #10 meggoleggo, Jul 29, 2008
  11. TheFreak

    TheFreak Member

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    Why would the UK be airing a commercial featuring Mr. T?
     
    #11 TheFreak, Jul 29, 2008
  12. Franchise3

    Franchise3 Member

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    This is the kind of stuff that makes it harder and harder for people to take America seriously anymore.

    How is this supposed to be offensive to gay people? Are we to assume that speedwalking is performed solely by gay people? As ridiculous as it sounds, the National Speedwalking Association has a much more valid claim to be offended by this ad than gay people. All this commercial does is further perpetuate the notion that speedwalkers are second class citizens and violence against then is not only acceptable, but humorous.
     
    #12 Franchise3, Jul 29, 2008
  13. marks0223

    marks0223 2017 and 2022 World Series Champions
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    Great ads! Too bad fun is being outlawed everwhere because somewhere someone is offended by anything you can come up with.
     
    #13 marks0223, Jul 29, 2008
  14. HAYJON02

    HAYJON02 Member

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    It's not like Mr T was wearing something resembling a scarf.

    There are plenty funnier commercials out there. It's not like we're losing anything special. Snickers ads are terrible.
     
    #14 HAYJON02, Jul 29, 2008
  15. hooroo

    hooroo Member

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    speedwalking is as much a sport as teabagging is.
     
    #15 hooroo, Jul 29, 2008
  16. DaDakota

    DaDakota Balance wins
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    Those ads are FANTASTIC....

    "Snickers, get some nuts !"


    LOL


    Come on that is not offensive at all.......just funny as hades.

    DD
     
    #16 DaDakota, Jul 29, 2008
  17. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Atomic Playboy
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    That commercial is comedy gold !


    :D
     
    #17 KingCheetah, Jul 29, 2008
  18. Lynus302

    Lynus302 Member

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    I said this in another thread and I'll say it again here: This is utterly ridiculous.

    That commercial was hilarious and I fail to see how this is offensive to anyone other than perhaps male speed-walkers themselves in the 1st commercial (and let's face it: they do look rather silly) and soccer players in the 2nd (who have a reputation as some of the biggest flopping pansies in professional sports).

    We're losing out freaking minds over PC nonsense in this country.
     
    #18 Lynus302, Jul 29, 2008
  19. Isabel

    Isabel Member

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    Right, the only people I'd think would be offended would be speedwalkers. From the actual commercial (insinuating it's not a real sport, at least not for men) and then from the HRC, for implying that speedwalkers are gay.

    so: no one should complain about speedwalkers because they might be doing it because they're gay. Or no one should complain about teabagging because someone who's gay might, ummm, like it. :rolleyes:
     
    #19 Isabel, Jul 30, 2008
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