A major ice cream is getting pushback for comparing the “guilty pleasure” of ice cream bars with people being arrested for being gay.
UK Spotify users were recently met with the displeasure of Magnum ice cream and a questionable comparison. The original ad has a male voice over in which the narrator expresses how his love is a guilty pleasure that can get him arrested.
“A hug for my boyfriend—that’s my guilty pleasure,” says the unnamed narrator. “Because in my country, just a simple hug with the man I love could send me to prison for more than 10 years.”
The Magnum Company released the ad with the intention of spotlighting LGBTQ rights and “to remind people that what is considered a guilty pleasure isn’t always what you would expect.” Specifically, the company wanted to show how homosexuality is still illegal in 70 countries within the world. Punishment for homosexuality and sodomy in those countries range from imprisonment to death.
That said, many did not like the idea of combining an ice cream ad focused on “guilty pleasure” with gay rights. As you’d expect, there were plenty of Twitter users who expressed negative opinions about the campaign.
@MagnumIceCream your advert comparing the potential to be killed if you're gay to the guilty pleasure of eating a magnum is disgusting, racist and homophobic. Please withdraw it immediately.
— Nell Blane (@firegoat67) August 5, 2019
new magnum ice cream advert is hilariously disjointed.
1. "yum magnum" standard stuff.
2. Then woke "I get arrested for being gay in my country". 3. Then some "pleasure shouldn't be guilty" bumf. Eat your gay magnum. Eat it, gay. Magnum mmmm.— Byzantine Ambassador (@byzantinepower) August 2, 2019
An ad for #Magnum ice cream bars just popped up on my #Spotify and it is the cringiest/funniest gay baiting ad ever. A foreign accented man laments how dangerous it is to hug his boyfriend in his country, but he won't get arrested for eating a Magnum! pic.twitter.com/S6WdzW9p51
— Christa Blackmon (@TheOdalisque) August 2, 2019
Every ad that @Spotify runs seems to be an attempt to annoy their users into upgrading. The latest ad from @MagnumIceCream falls firmly into the category of damaging their own brand. Sexuality isnt a guilty pleasure. Great to speak out against repression. Next time with feeling.
— Brett (@almostimpressed) August 4, 2019
Magnum Ice Cream has yet to respond to the backlash and news coverage. But perhaps it won’t. After all, bad press is still press. And despite some Twitter complaints and news articles condemning the ad, there won’t be much actual punishment to Magnum or its wallets. So, why bother addressing or changing anything besides a possible (shallow) apology?
But what do you think? Do you forgive Magnum for its misstep in representing LGBTQ life? Do you think the ad is fair play? Or, would you rather the company resend the audio campaign? And do you think they would? Let us know in the comments below.
