Commercials that went Controversial recently!
Gillette: ‘We Believe’ (2019)
Gillette, the popular shaving company was going through immense support and hatred after it launched its ‘Positive Masculinity’ ad campaign. The ad aligned perfectly with the #MeToo movement while it carried the “The best men can be” tagline instead of “The best a man can get”.
https://twitter.com/Gillette/status/1084850521196900352
The ad came up with positive voiceovers like “Bullying, the MeToo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity, is this the best a man can get?”
Here are some of the mixed responses to the ad,
The comments under the @Gillette toxic masculinity ad is a living document of how desperately society needs things like the Gillette toxic masculinity ad.
Seriously: if your masculinity is THAT threatened by an ad that says we should be nicer then you're doing masculinity wrong.
— Andrew P Street, The (@AndrewPStreet) January 15, 2019
I wonder how the "toxic men" who stormed the shores of Normandy to liberate the world from pure evil would feel about the moralizing of @Gillette / @ProcterGamble. The folks who do not understand why people are upset at the obnoxious virtue signalling are blind to the TOXIC
— Gad Saad (@GadSaad) January 15, 2019
I've used @Gillette razors my entire adult life but this absurd virtue-signalling PC guff may drive me away to a company less eager to fuel the current pathetic global assault on masculinity.
Let boys be damn boys.
Let men be damn men. https://t.co/Hm66OD5lA4— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) January 14, 2019
We believe in the best in men! #TheBestMenCanBe https://t.co/Nrvmn4lLnD
— MFA Iceland 🇮🇸 (@MFAIceland) January 15, 2019
Thank you @Gillette for reminding us that there can be no going back from how far we as a society have come in confronting the issue of bullying & harassment of others. Help us share this message about the importance of being an Upstander. #TheBestMenCanBe https://t.co/4HtjwHgFyk
— Tyler Clementi Foundation (@TylerClementi) January 15, 2019
Exploitative? Maybe. Brave and timely? Absolutely. Also, I cried. Well done, @Gillette. #foroursons https://t.co/4hYNcgsxoX
— Emily Andras (@emtothea) January 15, 2019
Controversial ‘Gay’ Commercial from Coca-Cola (2019)
Coca-Cola is long known for its controversial ads it releases from time to time. Every once in a while, it comes up with something bold that has people talking about.
In an attempt to promote brand inclusiveness, Coca Cola featured gay couples kissing, captioning the picture ‘Love is love’ in 2019. The ad, featuring same-sex couples kissing each other while holding a bottle of coke has pissed off anti-LGBT politicians in Hungary who have urged the company to take down the ad. Easier said than done, Coca-Cola is resilient and shows no signs of taking it down.
In a statement, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said that “The Coca-Cola Company strives for diversity, inclusion, and equality in our business, and we support these rights in society as well. As a long-standing supporter of the LGBTQI community, we believe everyone has the right to love the person they choose. The campaign currently running in Hungary reflects these values.”
Coca Cola seems to have done thorough research before placing an ad as such in public spaces. It strategically chose Hungary to execute this controversial ad because a fair number of people support LGBT rights.
According to a 2017 poll, 64% of Hungarians agreed that gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should enjoy the same rights as straight people. Additionally, 69% agreed that they should be protected from workplace discrimination. Apart from those stats more than the majority of people believe that they should have the same rights and given equal employment opportunities.
Great move Coca-Cola.
