Flora puts ‘immediate stop’ to ad comparing coming out as gay to putting a bullet in a parent’s heart
A recent advertisement for margarine giant Flora, which compares coming out to your father to being shot through the heart, has been pulled by Unilever after complaints accusing it of homophobia.
However, a Unilever spokesperson recently released a statement which reads: “This advert was prepared by an external agency in South Africa and was not approved by anyone at Unilever. The advert is offensive and unacceptable and we have put an immediate stop to it.
“Unilever is proud of the support that our brands have given to LGBT people, including our recent campaign for Ben & Jerry’s on equal marriage.”
Lowe and Partners in Johannesburg, reportedly put together the campaign, which also features another controversial advert referencing the Kama Sutra.
Flora is sold in the UK, Czech Republic, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Spain, Poland, Hungary, Portugal, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia, and previous advertising campaigns have associated the product with wholesome family values.
