Such is the case of Snickers, because the popular chocolate brand decided to launch a new campaign starring the influencer Aless Gibaja, becoming viral on social networks and not thanks to the good comments, since hundreds of people described it as homophobic and plumophobic.
The spot features Gibaja asking for ‘a sexy orange juice with vitamins A, B and C’, but when the waiter hands him a bar of the advertised brand of chocolate instead, he transforms into a man with the deepest voice and other heteronormative canons.
‘It’s not you when you’re hungry’ is the slogan with which the ad ends, which has been used on other occasions by the same brand in campaigns in Mexico, however, this time it outraged the LGBTIQ + community, as the spot commands the message that chocolate can remove any trace of femininity in the blink of an eye.
The Snickers problem
Although the theme of the ad is nothing new, the truth is that the brand made it at a time when more and more people are seeking to break stereotypes about groups such as the LGBTQ community.
Likewise, in recent years the topic about new masculinities has been conversation on social networks, a recent case was that of the winner of a gold medal, Tom Daley, whom we saw from the stands knit a sweater and break the hegemonic masculinity.
With this in mind, social networks did not accept the new Snickers commercial well, pointing out homophobia and plumophobia, the latter refers to when a member of the LGBTQ + community discriminates against another from the same group, asking to boycott the brand.
The horrible Snickers ad reminds me that in film and television, even today, only minor characters are penned as comic devices. The protagonists, be they gay or straight, always move in the terrain of normative masculinity. And I think enough is enough.
– Juan Roures (@JuanRoures) August 5, 2021
Good morning to everyone except those who created and participated in the Snickers announcement. Especially Gibaja, who for four dogs has sold his dignity to a brand.
– David PM ???? (@fdei_) August 5, 2021
Stop blaming everyone for the Snickers ad except Aless Gibaja. Neither has he been fooled or hosts. These characters for money and fame do whatever it takes and I am sure they will have given him a good amount of money and he has left the principles at the door. The ad sucks
– Alberto_ yoyo (@Alberto_yoyo) August 5, 2021
Mark apologizes
Faced with pressure from social networks, Snickers announced that the commercial would be withdrawn and through a statement published from its Snickers Spain profiles, the company apologized for “the misunderstanding” caused, noting that it only wanted to show how hunger can change our character .
“From the Snickers brand we take the rights of equality and inclusion very seriously and we believe that anyone has the right to show themselves as they are. For this reason, from Snickers we want to apologize for the misunderstanding that our new advertising campaign may have caused ”.
“At no time has it been intended to stigmatize or offend any person or group,” he said. “In this specific campaign, the aim was to convey in a friendly and casual way that hunger can change your character”, I continue to later say “we regret any misunderstanding and, in order to avoid spreading a message that could be misinterpreted, we will proceed immediately to eliminate the campaign ”.
A disastrous apology?
Despite the speed of the brand for wanting to repair the situation, its publication of apologies was filled with negative comments in which users pointed out things like “To take your rights of equality and inclusion VERY SERIOUSLY… NOT REFLECTED. Regrettable and ridiculous apology ”.
Marketing specialists must be aware of the deficiencies that brands have in their approach with LGBTQ + consumers, considering that on many occasions users have a bad image of the company due to its rejection of the community within the whole year, with the exception of the LBTQ + pride month.
According to an investigation by the organization The Visibility Project 81 percent of marketers and 41 percent of agency leaders believe that creating inauthentic representations of LGBTQ + consumers can generate backlash more easily than underrepresentation. As was the case with Snickers.
Likewise, 78 percent of marketers and 31 percent of agency executives say that creating a campaign with adequate representation is a challenge given the diversity that prevails in the LGBTQ + community.
Despite this, brands must seek new marketing strategies to seek to maintain inclusion as an axis within it, since more and more users are dissatisfied with being a marketing object, without a real background for companies.
Here the announcement:
This Snickers ad is an absolute shame and an insult to the entire LGTBI collective
I can’t believe there are communication professionals who think this is a good idea.
Is anything good as long as they talk about you?And i don’t understand how @ ALESSGIBAJA2 lends itself to this pic.twitter.com/LEpYs4KwfT
– Victor Gutierrez (@ victorg91) August 5, 2021
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