With gay marriages about to begin at 5 p.m. today in California, Heinz is using a kiss between two men to help the company sell some mayonnaise in the UK. The ad shows two kids getting ready for school, waiting for their "mom" (a man who looks like a deli counter worker and has a New York accent) to pack their lunches. The commercial, airing in the United Kingdom today, does what it can to make Brits accepting of a two-father household — and I'm not talking about the My Two Dads variety. After the kids' lunches are packed, in comes "dad" for a goodbye smooch.
Get Flash to see this player.
Will viewers become more open minded after seeing this traditional morning routine infused with a homosexual lifestyle? Perhaps it may have been more shocking to tradition if the lunchmaker was called "dad" and the parent going to work was called "mom."
Some may think Heinz simply wants to shock viewers for added publicity. Considering a straight couple would be completely un-newsworthy, I think it offers social commentary just by getting attention. Did it get yours?
Givenchy
Tommy Hilfiger
Alexander McQueen
I'd have done a double take at home but that's all. I don't envy the advertiser. On one hand, it is perfectly reasonable to recognize gay families as here and as valid as any other family. But to so many people it's a political issue that the advertiser stands to hurt the product by association.
1I'll give Heinz credit for going out and taking the early fire. And I'll eat more tomato & mayo sandwiches for them.
Undave's kids however, may grow up not knowing condiments!
2LOL! At first I thought the guy in the hat was Robert Deniro.
Well it's cool that they're running it but did they have to be so cheesy?
3More tomato and mayo sandwiches? I guess it's just a sacrifice I'll have to make.
I think it's nice to see advertisers treating this as normal- because I don't think it should be treated like it's abnormal at all.
4I watched it several times to see if "dad" was Ben from Lost.
5I like the normalcy of it all.
Could have done without the double entendre of "sweet cheeks".
rofl @ comment #2.
The act in and of itself doesn't shock me (I live in a lovely gayborhood in DC).
But seeing it on TV, esp in an ad, is a little shocking, only in because of it's unexpectedness.
As for why they did this, I can only think it's for shock value.
6I love couples who are in love, no matter straight, gay, different colors! Sad how someone can't be legally bonded to someone else because of gender and laws made by other people!
7speaking of marriage...the very first legal gay marriages in calif are taking place this minute in LA and SF.
8Whoa, I totally took that commercial in a completely different way. I didn't see it at all as trying to portray your average nuclear family with two dads. I thought the gag was that there was this gruff New York deli guy where you'd expect mom to be. Less brave political statement, more gay joke.
9yeah i agree with torgleson, i don't see this as a politically bold ad at all. to me it's just saying "with our delicious mayonnaise you can have a new york deli right here in your kitchen!". not sure that this is a boundary pushing pro-gay commercial at all?
10I was all for this commercial until the end when the guy said the words "Sweet cheeks". Now those words put a naughty vision into my head for a second there...oops, now maybe I should have kept that part of my opinion to myself. But it's true
11OK, I agree with Stephley, my kids won't know what condiments are...
(at the comment)
12The commercial was lousy.
Haha, maybe I'm weird-- but I thought it was cute.
True doesn't discriminate. I'm so
glad I'm now alone with the "sweet cheeks" comment-- that made me blink a few times.
13I loved it. But I love seeing men kiss. And I love mayo on my sandwiches.
14I completely agree with torgleson and yesteryear. I saw that as trying to be funny not a portrayal of a homosexual lifestyle. I don't think they would have had the kids saying Mom or had him dressed like a deli worker with an NYC accent if we were supposed to believe that was truly a nuclear two dad situation.
15Did y'all have sound? I could watch the video, but no sound!
And Wadewifey, "laws made by other people!" Except for an elite few, this is all laws and all people.
16oh, and I can't believe I am saying this, but I agree with yesteryear. I see it as a, look mom makes deli sandwiches with this yummy heinz product (insert gruff new yorker). No big statement.
17Crap, I can't find this anywhere else on the web to listen to it!!
18Great Som pouts.
great som, great new picture.
19Thank you! And i figured out the sound issue. My computer illiterate husband muted it when trying to turn the volume down. At least he's cute.
20your hubby is one up on me gs, when i try to mute my computer, i keep hitting the button because the sound wont turn off then my computer shuts down and i realize i have been hitting the off button. anyhoo, ya i didnt really see the "gay statement" i saw a guy in a deli hat who was "mom". did heinz come out and clarify that this was supposed to be a gay couple? and was anyone else reminded of the gay sopranos character?
21
Oh he is worthless on the computer.
22I agree with the others that it was just trying to say "hey look with our products your mom will be as good as a deli in NY"; I dont see it as trying to portray a gay couple at all.
23Are NY delis that popular in England? With kids? Isn't it then insulting to reduce mom to the morning sandwich maker with nowhere to go? If the second interpretation is correct, this ad seems about 20 years out of date to me.
24steph, the ad is for sandwich condiments. It is a joke. Not everything is a social statement. Sometimes people actually let themselves have fun.
25we dont buy Heinz products anyway ( I dont like the family), and I dont agree with that lifestyle choice, and wouldnt want my kids exposed to it through commercials for mayo.
26If it were just for fun, wouldn't it be on Giggle?
From a business point of view, an ad that insults its target isn't going to sell much mayo. And it seems that this ad risks upsetting someone no matter how you interpret it.
27Not for people with senses of humor!
28Wow. That's extremely sad. So, how are they going to learn about it? It's a fact of life. Whether you agree with it or not there are gay people in this world and there are gay people raising families. Even if you don't agree with the lifestyle wouldn't it be better to educate them so they know what to expect instead of completely sheltering them from it. I know it's none of my business...just my opinion.
29harmony, they will learn what it all means, but not from a commercial.
why is that sad? to want to educate them to the correct facts, and not a parody of them?
30If the second interpretation is correct, this ad seems about 20 years out of date to me.
Exactly, Stephley. That's what I'm getting out of it. Fifties style nuclear family with a gay joke. Not exactly groundbreaking.
31Alright that makes sense. I thought you didn't want them to know about it at all. My mistake.
I said the word sad because I am a big supporter of gay rights. In my career I am surrounded by gay men and women and they are wonderful people who want the same things as us straight people. They want love and acceptance. It makes me sad when people don't support it, but of course you are completely entitled to your opinion and beliefs...and I am entitled to be sad.
32That's why we love you, girl.
33
34I don't like the commercial because it assumes that: 1)Everyone is OK with homosexual couples raising families, and 2) Everyone talks to their children about homosexuality. Here in a midwestern small town (pop 60,000), we don't see a lot of gay behavior. I'm not niave enough to believe it isn't going on, but it's not obvious. Having said that, I'm not real big on PDA's anyway. I must be a parent...
35I tried several times to launch an eloquent, perhaps vitriolic, diatribe in response to UnDave's previous comment, but I am unable to muster the energy to expound my point of view and I'm sure y'all've all heard it, or a similar version, before so suffice to say it does not matter whether or not one thinks it is OK because it is most definitely OK for anyone to provide a loving home for a family; being gay is an irrelevant point.
I like this commercial because it comically portrays a common romantic desire for two gay men to live together, raise children, and still keep the fire burning. Sweet cheeks.
36I really dont have problem with homosexuals. But I don't like the commercial from one point or another. All i know is it not going to make me wanna buy the product. I really really don't like it!!!
37I didn't even realize they were gay when I first saw the commercial at home. I thought he was an actual deli counter worker at there home. Kinda like that sven commercial for the Smartphone, I think?
38I didn't even realize they were gay when I first saw the commercial at home. I thought he was an actual deli counter worker at there home. Kinda like that sven commercial for the Smartphone, I think?
39Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.