Source: Oregonian, Wall Street Journal, Brand Republic, Guardian

 
Nike withdrew this ad and three others after outcry that they played on anti-gay attitudes.

Both Nike and Snickers dropped ads late last week that critics said played on anti-gay stereotypes.

Nike Inc. said it dropped three ads from a billboard campaign in response to critics who complained that the basketball-shoe ads were insensitive to gay men and African-Americans.

Backing off earlier support of the ads, the Beaverton-area sporting goods giant said it would withdraw ads for its new Hyperdunk basketball shoes that some critics found offensive "to underline our ongoing commitment to supporting diversity in sport and the workplace."

Nike's move comes amid a sudden debate inside and outside the ad industry about the use of gay stereotypes. On Thursday, Mars Inc. said it would pull a UK TV ad for its Snickers brand after The Human Rights Campaign, a gay-rights advocacy group, and Advertising Age columnist Bob Garfield said it fostered gay stereotypes.

The ad, which aired only in the UK, features a speed walker, who faces a hail of Snickers fired by the former A-Team actor, who growls, "Speed walking. I pity you fool. You a disgrace to the man race. It's time to run like a real man."

He then opens fire, peppering the man with Snickers bars and forcing him to break into a run.

In the UK the TV ad barely ruffled feathers, the Advertising Standards Authority said.

The ASA received just two complaints and did not investigate the commercial for a possible breach of the advertising code, The Guardian reports.

The Snickers commercial was created by ad agency AMV BBDO, which also faced criticism last last month for a Heinz Deli Mayo ad featuring two men kissing. That ad was also withdrawn after complaints.

The Nike ads, designed by Portland's Wieden+Kennedy agency, promoted a new line of basketball shoes, called Hyperdunk, that are at the center of Nike's Olympics marketing pitch. The ad featured two unidentified male basketball players; as one flew up to the net for an apparent slam dunk, the other was left below, his face smashed into his opponent's groin.

The scene appeared on outdoor ads in Philadelphia, Atlanta and New York, and was subtitled with slogans like "That Ain't Right" and "Isn't That Cute." Its release prompted a number of blogs to lash out at the company for criticizing gays and African-Americans.

Critics started attacking the ads on Wieden+Kenneday's blog "WK Studio" early Tuesday morning, the same day New York-based blog Gawker.com called on Nike to pull the ads. Henry Abbott, author of ESPN.com's well-trafficked TrueHoops blog, veered from his normal focus on the NBA to call the ad "ethically sloppy" and points out why the "Punks Jump Up" ad evokes a 1992 rap song with the same title and anti-gay lyrics.

Wieden+Kennedy responded with a post to its own blog titled "Hypersensitive Y'all?"

Many others, including some openly gay bloggers, saw no homophobic message in the ads. Outsports, a sports Web site for the gay community, wrote "Nike ain't so wrong."

A Mars spokeswoman said that the candy company's ad was part of a series for the UK that "are meant to be fun and have been positively received in the UK. 

"However, we understand that humor is highly subjective, and it is never our intention to cause offence.

"Accordingly, we have pulled the Mr T Speedwalker ad globally."

HRC workplace director Daryl Herrschaft said the ad perpetuated the notion that the gay community was "a group of second class citizens and that violence against gay people is not only acceptable, but humorous".

The controversy over its ads put Nike in a bind. The company advocated strongly for Oregon's 2007 anti-discrimination law sought by gay-rights groups. It's also a national corporate sponsor of the Human Rights Campaign, The Oregonian reports.

Jeana Frazzini, executive director of gay-advocacy group Basic Rights Oregon, said she phoned Julia Brim-Edwards, Nike's deputy director for state and public affairs, to ask that the company reconsider the "That Ain't Right" ad after learning of its existence from a reporter.

Frazzini said she didn't think Nike, given its support of its gay employees, intended to be offensive or hurtful.

"Really, the ad is problematic because of the context in which homophobia in sports continues to be so rampant," Frazzini said. "I think it's when you have that ad in front of folks who don't understand the commitment that Nike has that it raises concerns."

"The fact that they're pulling it is an indication that they're sensitive to these issues," she said.

Nike has what Frazzini described as an active employee support network for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender workers. Two members of that network referred all questions to Nike's public relations department. Applegate said no company official would comment further on the decision.

Full article: Nike Withdraws 'Dunk' Ads Amid Flurry of Complaints | Wall Street Journal
Nike just dumps it as blogs slam ads | Oregonian
Mars withdraws 'homophobic' Snickers ad after complaints | Brand Republic
Mr T Snickers ad pulled for being offensive to gay people | Guardian