KOK Edit: Your favorite copyeditor since 1984(SM)
KOK Edit: your favorite copyeditor since 1984(SM) KOK Edit: your favorite copyeditor since 1984(SM) Katharine O'Moore Klopf
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Monday, February 05, 2007

Snickers' Homophobic Super Bowl Ad

There aren't any football fans in my house, so as usual, we didn't watch the Super Bowl. That's why I didn't see a homophobic ad by Mars about Snickers, the candy bar, that aired during the game.

I'm appalled at the ad and its variants, one of which will run when the Daytona 500 airs. And I'm astounded that such a large company would have the stupidity necessary to run the ad. I plan to write both Snickers and the NFL, which allowed its players to be shown on the Snickers Web site reacting with disgust to the same-sex "accidental kiss" in the ad.

You can go here to complain to Mars. To complain to the NFL, don't use the e-mail contact form at NFL.com; that's only for messages about the Web site. Instead, snail-mail, call, or fax the NFL:
280 Park Ave.
New York, NY 10017
phone: 212-450-2000
fax: 212-681-7599

Updated 2/5/07, 3:09 p.m.: The Mars family, by the way, is a major contributor to conservative Republican causes.

Updated at 4:59 p.m.: The Human Rights Campaign, the largest gay and lesbian civil rights group in the U.S., is demanding that Mars pull the ad and its variants.

Updated at 5:46 p.m.: You can sign a petition here calling on Mars to pull the ads and stop running homophobic ads.

Updated at 7:07 p.m.: The Snickers site for the ads has been pulled; the old address for the ads redirects viewers to the main Snickers Web site.

Updated at 7:27 p.m.: Mars, the company that produces Snickers, says to a prominent blogger that it will not ever run the offensive ad or its variants anywhere. I'm still inclined to boycott Snickers; it's bad that the company thought the ad was funny enough to run in the first place.



8 comments:

Imperatrix said...

Oh my god. We missed the first half hour or so of the game, so missed this one. I agree, it's disgusting. The Bears' reactions aren't any better. Thanks from bringing this to my attention. I'll be forwarding the info to everyone I can think of.

Anonymous said...

Please sign our petition!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/457885009

Anonymous said...

How reprehensible that, of all methods Mars could use to promote itself, it would choose this.
Well, I used to like Snickers bars and M&Ms, but now that Mars has figuratively squished them onto the pavement...yech.

Imperatrix said...

Hurray! The Power of the People -- it's an awesome thing.

Anonymous said...

Good grief! It was not as much homophobic as much as a parody of men 'acting manly'. If anything it was largely forgettable and boring. Get a life peeps, there are real issues out there that need your attention before this drivel!

Katharine O'Moore-Klopf said...

Anon, I think of that commercial the same way I think about sexist language: Each commercial is an isolated incident, and each instance of sexist language is an isolated instance. But put instance after instance after instance together, and there's a whole culture that teaches children and teens that homophobia is okay, that sexism is okay. I grew up hearing sexist language, and it led me to believe, as a girl, that I couldn't do a lot of things because I wasn't a boy. As an adult who's learned otherwise, I try to stop individual bullies, corporate bullies, and governmental bullies. I can't stand bullies of any kind and won't let bullying go uncontested.

Anonymous said...

Katherine, here's an 'instance' that promotes a bit of humor on this whole topic -- after watching the Snickers Wrench ad, I didn't feel 'homophobic,' but certainly felt "Snickerphobic!" LOL! Yes, down with corporate bullies. Time to take a step back and laugh at ourselves for a change.

Anonymous said...

I just learned over at www.gaymarketnews.com that Omnicom who made this disgusting ad also has its own specialist gay PR division called Outfront at Fleishman Hillard - an Omnicom agency.

That really annoys me - they bash gays in one moment but then try to make money out of them the next.

These people have no shame.

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