Heinz Recipe for Trouble: Hold the Ad

LONDON, June 26, 2008 — -- The Heinz Co., best know for its "57 Varieties" slogan, is finding out that there is more than one variety of public relations trouble.

The condiment giant yanked a television commercial last week for its new Heinz Deli Mayo in Great Britain because of complaints that the ad featured a quick kiss between two men.

But taking the ad down may have only compounded Heinz's problem by angering the country's gay activists, who are now organizing online protests and calling for a boycott of all Heinz products.

The commercial, which only ran in Great Britain, begins with a morning routine: Two young children get ready for school, a father prepares for work, and a man with a New York accent and dressed as a deli worker makes sandwiches in the kitchen.

The children call the deli worker Mum, and as the father leaves for work he says, "See you tonight, love," and leans over the counter to kiss the cook before heading out the door.

The commercial was too saucy for some. It provoked more than 200 complaints, according to the Advertising Standards Authority, an independent watchdog group that monitors U.K. advertising codes.

Fox News' host Bill O'Reilly complained about the advertisement last week on his show, "The O'Reilly Factor."

"I just want mayonnaise," O'Reilly said. "I don't want guys kissing."

Heinz said the advertisement was intended to be humorous.

The company released a statement clarifying that the concept behind the commercial is that the product tastes so good, "it's as if you have your own New York deli man in your kitchen."

Lynsay Taffe, the communications and policy manager for ASA, said most of the complaints about the commercial came from parents who believed it was inappropriate for children.

"Some parents were concerned that the ad would force them to explain same-sex relationships and homosexuality to their children," she said in an interview with ABC News.

But when millions of viewers watch television commercials, are 200 complaints significant?

According to Taffe, "It is quite a lot, especially within only a couple of days of the ad launching." She said that the Heinz Deli Mayo ad is one of the five most-complained-about ads in the United Kingdom so far this year.

Nigel Dickie, director of corporate affairs for Heinz U.K., issued a public apology. "It is our 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."

But the retraction of the ad may have only spread the problem around.

Stonewall, a prominent gay activist group in the United Kingdom, is encouraging Britain's 3.6 million gay consumers to boycott all Heinz products.

"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," Ben Summerskill, Stonewall chief executive, told ABC News.

"We find Branston Baked Beans, Baxter's Soups, Buitoni Spaghetti, Jardines Tomato Ketchup and Hellmann's Mayonnaise all to be much more delicious than their Heinz counterparts," Summerskill said.

Gaydar Radio, another gay organization, joined Stonewall this week in urging its members to ban Heinz products.

Stephen Waddington, a 51-year-old retired government officer from Manchester, noticed the commercial but didn't think it represented homosexuality.

"I thought it was clever and amusing," he told ABC News.

But he was surprised by the reaction and complaints about the ad and even more shocked to learn that Heinz had pulled the commercial altogether.

"It enraged me that Heinz was pandering to these reactionaries, and now I fully endorse Stonewall's call for a boycott of Heinz," Waddington said.

Even though the Heinz Co. has taken the mayo ad off the air, the ASA says the agency is considering whether or not to launch a formal investigation into the case. If the investigation goes on, however, there will be no penalties.

"Pulling out of a very expensive ad campaign and bad publicity is punishment enough," said Taffe.

Despite the negative publicity, however, the brand recognition of Heinz Deli Mayo is certain to have been boosted by the controversy. And the impact on sales remains to be seen.