GLAAD, Matthew Shepard Foundation Condemn Anti-Gay Snickers Campaign

[Maven]

The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) and the Matthew Shepard Foundation today strongly condemned elements of an ad campaign launched by Snickers ® – a brand of Mars, Inc.’s Masterfoods USA, and the official chocolate bar sponsor of the National Football League (NFL) – that includes a Web site featuring video of NFL athletes reacting with prejudice and disgust to depictions of two men kissing.

...

The campaign, created by TBWA\Chiat\Day New York, was launched during CBS’ February 4 Super Bowl® telecast with an ad that showed two mechanics eating from opposite ends of a Snickers candy bar and, after their mouths touch, ripping out their chest hair in a desperate attempt “do something manly.”

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.

Mars’ campaign Web site (www.snickerssatisfies.com) shows alternate endings for the ad – among them, a version called “Wrench” where, instead of ripping out their own chest hair, one man grabs a wrench and uses it to bash the other, who responds by slamming the hood of the car down on his head. Mars is asking visitors to vote on this and three other endings – including the one aired on the Super Bowl telecast – to determine which version will air during the Fox broadcast of the Daytona 500 on Sunday, Feb. 18.

The site also shows five NFL players, two from the Indianapolis Colts and three from the Chicago Bears, reacting to the several versions of the ad. The players’ reactions range from general amusement (Bears quarterback Rex Grossman and Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison) to non-verbal disgust (Bears wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad) to overt expressions of prejudice (Bears tight end Desmond Clark and Colts linebacker Cato June).

“I am outraged that Mars, the NFL and these players would promote such an anti-gay message. This campaign encourages the same type of hate that led to the death of my son Matthew. It essentially gives ‘permission’ to our society to verbally or physically harass individuals who are gay, lesbian or bisexual,” said Judy Shepard, Executive Director of the Matthew Shepard Foundation. “In particular, I am dismayed that these players, who are role models to our young people, would participate in perpetuating such discrimination and prejudice.”

more...

So the ad agency was going to show GLAAD the ad before airing it, and then decided against it--probably because they KNEW that GLAAD would object.

Meanwhile, Mars, Inc. issues the typical non-apology:

“As with all of our Snickers advertising, our goal was to capture the attention of our core Snickers consumer, primarily 18-to-24-year-old adult males,” said a spokeswoman for Masterfoods, Alice Nathanson. “Feedback from our target consumers has been positive, and many media and Web site commentators on this year’s Super Bowl lineup ranked the commercial among this year’s best.”

“We know that humor is highly subjective and we understand that some consumers have found the commercial offensive,” Ms. Nathanson said, adding: “Clearly that was not our intent. We do not plan to continue the ad on television or on our Web site.”

more... And the NYTimes reports on it

Obviously, 18-24 male sports fans are the new target audience for subtle "satire."

[gatorboy]

1. Snickers, Paris Hilton, Grey's Anatomy.

They enjoy going after the fluff. But when it comes to the Cheneys? *crickets*

[Maven]

3. GLAAD is a media watchdog.

They've covered the issue peripherally, as here:

http://www.glaad.org/media/archive_detail.php?id=3944&

[gatorboy]

6. They covered the Dobson angle

But has far as the Cheney's go it still looks like they get a free pass.

[terrya]

2. Thank you for posting this.

One wants to say something like "well, GLAAD, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and the New York Times maybe ought to think about just lightening up about it". But one won't.

[xchrom]

4. clearly that WAS your intent.

clearly you LIE.

fucking tapworms sucking shit for a living -- that what the snickers people and the ad agency represent .

you will always, always find that people rise to the occasion when allowed to expose their hate.

[myrna minx]

5. This just totally disgusts me.

:grr: I can't even express how angry I am. :grr:

[JackBeck]

7. I would venture to guess that the Matthew Shepard Foundation

had a problem with the violent option as one of the alternative endings. But I guess, like Cindy Sheehan, losing a son just makes one say the craziest things.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[myrna minx]

9. I know. A few straight people say that *they* aren't

offended, so therefore that closes the issue. :eyes: I still have the love for my GLBT friends. :hug:

[ThomCat]

10. You're awesome.

And we know it. :hug:

[Name removed]

11. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

12. It is disgusting.

Truly and absolutely sickening.

[foreigncorrespondent]

13. Bravo!!!!

This place is turning into a homophobic cess pool, all the way up to the top. It's getting disgusting.

Getting worse with each passing day. I miss the old DU where homophobic shit was't permitted.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[theHandpuppet]

18. Count me in as well.

It's gotten so bad I've just stopped posting on many threads concering GLBT issues here. This is my first post on any of the many Snickers threads.

[theHandpuppet]

20. BTW, racism is rearing its ugly head as well

And therein lies a lesson. Bigotry begets bigotry. Where one form is allowed, another is sure to flourish. If I read one more thread on DU where people of color are told when and where they have the right to be offended, I think I'll furking scream.

[ThomCat]

22. You're so right. Bigotry of one kind begets bigotry

of other kinds.

And it's always the bigots in the majority who insist that we don't have any right to be upset. Sometimes it's the passive bigots, and sometimes the active bigots, but either way it's people who support bigotry.
x(

[LostinVA]

24. Exactly -- bigotry begets bigotry

[ThomCat]

21. I'm happy to see you.

:hug:

I understand avoiding those threads. Several of us have been tempted to do the same. But outrage over the blatant homophobia keeps drawing us back in.
x(

[Starbucks Anarchist]

19. I don't think you're hysterical.

:hug:

[ThomCat]

23. That's because you're a kind and wise man.

:hug:

[noonwitch]

15. If you are looking to be offended, you will always find something.

I didn't find the ad offensive, but then again, I'm not gay. I think it reflects the stupidity of hetero males about homosexuality.

[ThomCat]

16. If you're not affected

then you can say it's just stupidity. But if you were the one being mocked, and being told that one of your basic attributes is worthy of mocking, and if you knew that people were likely to bully you because of that mocking and the scorn that goes with it, you might think a bit differently.

[LostinVA]

17. And, you apparently didn't see the other ads in the campaign

Ugh.

[Bluebear]

25. Thanks for your sensitivity and support. nt

[Bluebear]

26. Judy Shepard really should lighten up!!!

:sarcasm: