Advertisement>> Homophobia • South Africa
Anglo-Dutch firm Unilever was forced to withdraw an advertisement of its margarine brand, Flora, in South Africa after it received flak for being homophobic. The advertisement features a bullet with the words “Uhh dad I’m gay” flying towards a heart made of china. The advertisement, on a pink background, includes the tagline “You need a strong heart today” near the Flora logo. Unilever has long promoted its margarine as helping maintain a healthy heart.
The advertisement was prepared by an external agency in South Africa and was not approved by anyone at Unilever, the company said on its Twitter feed. International advertising firm Lowe and Partner, which designed the ad, said it was “very sorry”. Gay rights group Stonewall, which had earlier described the ad as offensive and inappropriate, has welcomed the withdrawal.
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