Zoneboy
01-30-2010, 09:20 PM
Link (http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2010-01-28-mars-snickers-super-bowl-ad_N.htm)
Snickers wants to kiss and make up with Super Bowl viewers.
The candy bar maker's parent, Mars Chocolate North America, today will announce plans for the brand to return as a Super Bowl telecast advertiser — three years after it raised the wrath of gay advocates by airing a Super Bowl spot that showed two male mechanics who accidentally kiss, then react with disgust.
One thing's for certain: There won't be any men kissing men in the new ad. "No kissing at all," promises Carole Walker, vice president of integrated marketing.
She says the commercial has been tested with a focus group of more than 1,000 people and has been approved by the company's CEO. "It has nothing that the gay community would find offensive," she says.
The ad stars octogenarian actors Betty White and Abe Vigoda, with the tagline: "You're not you when you're hungry." Mars won't discuss more details.
Three years ago, the brand's Super Bowl commercial was yanked less than 24 hours after it aired. The ad and the firestorm that followed became an embarrassment.
The Super Bowl is widely viewed as the marketing world's biggest and most expensive stage. An ad scheduled to air in this year's game from Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family has stirred controversy because it alludes to the topic of abortion.
The latest move by Mars comes with its own set of risks, as its new ad will be under a microscope.
Among those watching closely will be the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a group that was outspoken three years ago in its criticism of the provocative Snickers Super Bowl spot.
But the organization doesn't want to comment on the Snickers commercial until after it airs. "We'll be watching all the ads to make sure gay and lesbian stereotypes are not used," spokesman Richard Ferraro says.
Since Snickers' 2007 Super Bowl debacle, the company has created an internal review board for all TV ads.
But Snickers, whose ad target is males 18 to 49, has had a strained relationship with the gay community for several years. Months after the Super Bowl controversy, it aired a spot in the U.K. that led to gay backlash. It featured an effeminate speed walker being teased and pelted with Snickers bars by actor Mr. T.
"If (Mars) airs an ad that offends people, the company will lose credibility and damage its reputation," says Lynne Doll, a crisis management expert.
Snickers wants to kiss and make up with Super Bowl viewers.
The candy bar maker's parent, Mars Chocolate North America, today will announce plans for the brand to return as a Super Bowl telecast advertiser — three years after it raised the wrath of gay advocates by airing a Super Bowl spot that showed two male mechanics who accidentally kiss, then react with disgust.
One thing's for certain: There won't be any men kissing men in the new ad. "No kissing at all," promises Carole Walker, vice president of integrated marketing.
She says the commercial has been tested with a focus group of more than 1,000 people and has been approved by the company's CEO. "It has nothing that the gay community would find offensive," she says.
The ad stars octogenarian actors Betty White and Abe Vigoda, with the tagline: "You're not you when you're hungry." Mars won't discuss more details.
Three years ago, the brand's Super Bowl commercial was yanked less than 24 hours after it aired. The ad and the firestorm that followed became an embarrassment.
The Super Bowl is widely viewed as the marketing world's biggest and most expensive stage. An ad scheduled to air in this year's game from Christian advocacy group Focus on the Family has stirred controversy because it alludes to the topic of abortion.
The latest move by Mars comes with its own set of risks, as its new ad will be under a microscope.
Among those watching closely will be the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, a group that was outspoken three years ago in its criticism of the provocative Snickers Super Bowl spot.
But the organization doesn't want to comment on the Snickers commercial until after it airs. "We'll be watching all the ads to make sure gay and lesbian stereotypes are not used," spokesman Richard Ferraro says.
Since Snickers' 2007 Super Bowl debacle, the company has created an internal review board for all TV ads.
But Snickers, whose ad target is males 18 to 49, has had a strained relationship with the gay community for several years. Months after the Super Bowl controversy, it aired a spot in the U.K. that led to gay backlash. It featured an effeminate speed walker being teased and pelted with Snickers bars by actor Mr. T.
"If (Mars) airs an ad that offends people, the company will lose credibility and damage its reputation," says Lynne Doll, a crisis management expert.