Stonewall and GaydarRadio are urging Britain’s 3.6 million gay consumers to boycott Heinz after the company decided to withdraw its Deli Mayo ad, which featured kiss between two men, after complaints that it was "offensive".
The Advertising Standards Authority has received 202 complaints about the ad from viewers who said it was "offensive", "inappropriate" and "unsuitable to be seen by children".
Ben Summerskill, the chief executive of gay Stonewall, said he was “shocked” by the decision to withdraw the ad.
"We're shocked that an innocuous ad should have been withdrawn in this way. I can't imagine that Heinz would respond to protests about black people featuring in their adverts.
"Our phones have not stopped ringing with supporters who are deeply upset."
Stonewall are urging Britain’s 3.6 million gay consumers and friends to stop buying all Heinz products in protest.
“In response to Heinz’s decision to withdraw their TV ad featuring a gay kiss, Stonewall is encouraging Britain’s 3.6 million gay consumers and their friends to stop purchasing from Heinz and buy alternative products instead,” Summerskill said.
“We find Branston Baked Beans, Baxters Soups, Buitoni Spaghetti, Jardines Tomato Ketchup and Hellmann’s Mayonnaise all to be much more delicious than their Heinz counterparts and encourage people offended by Heinz’s decision to try them.”
David Muniz, commercial director at Gaydar, points out that “If Heinz had announced they were pulling the ad because it hadn’t worked creatively I could have understood it, but what they went on to say was nothing short of offensive and insensitive to the gay community."
Leading the GaydarRadio boycott campaign is presenter Simon Le Vans who said that Heinz were “gutless” and “extremely homophobic”.
The ad for Deli Mayo showed a family in their kitchen getting ready for school and their father preparing for the office. Their sandwiches are being prepared by a man with an American accent, dressed in a deli serving outfit, who they refer to as "mum".
When their father goes to get his sandwich he says, "See you tonight love" and prepares to leave. However the male ‘mum’ says, "Hey, ain't you forgetting something?", at which point the two kiss. The ‘mum’ then says, "Love you. Straight home from work, sweet cheeks."”
Nigel Dickie, director of corporate affairs for Heinz UK said they were pulling the ad because it was their “policy to listen to consumers”.
“We recognize that some consumers raised concerns over the content of the ad and this prompted our decision to withdraw it,” Dickie said.
"The advertisement, part of a short-run campaign, was intended to be humorous and we apologize to anyone who felt offended."
The Advertising Standards Authority has said it will be making a decision whether to investigate the complaints generated by the ad after just one week by the end of this week.
If you feel strongly about this issue, then please sign the petition calling on Heinz to re-instate the Deli Mayo TV ad. www.petitiononline.com/heinz/petition.html
Watch the Heinz Deli Mayo ad below