Heinz is currently responding to backlash over imagery in their new advertisement campaign, which critics claim is racially insensitive.
- The ‘Smiles’ campaign, intended to coincide with Halloween, featured models with tomato sauce around their lips, sparking controversy around cultural depictions.
- Critics highlight that one image, in particular, evokes racial stereotypes linked to blackface minstrel shows, causing public uproar.
- Andre Gray, a creative agency leader, publicly criticised the lack of diverse perspectives and cultural scrutiny within marketing teams.
- Heinz has apologised for any offence caused and is actively working to remove the controversial advertisement.
In a recent wave of criticism, Heinz has found itself at the centre of a controversy regarding adverts from its ‘Smiles’ campaign. This promotional strategy, launched to coincide with the Halloween season and the anticipated ‘The Joker 2’, portrayed models with tomato sauce around their lips, and has been accused of perpetuating racial insensitivity.
A particular point of contention emerged when one of the images seemed to depict a black person in a manner reminiscent of nineteenth and early twentieth-century minstrel shows, which are now widely recognised as a racist stereotype. This aspect of the advertising imagery provoked immediate and extensive criticism across various platforms.
Andre Gray, Chief Creative Officer at Havas creative agency, expressed strong disapproval on LinkedIn, questioning why such imagery passes unchecked through marketing processes. Gray stated, “How are we still lacking the diverse teams and cultural competency to have the semiotics of our imagery properly scrutinized BEFORE it gets out in the world?” He emphasised that the portrayal was “how Black people have been show[n], characterised, stereotyped and dehumanised long before the Joker, and much more often than the Joker.”
In light of this criticism, a spokesperson for Heinz has issued an apology, acknowledging the misstep and emphasising the company’s commitment to better listening and learning. The spokesperson remarked, “As a consumer-obsessed company, we are actively listening and learning, and sincerely apologise for any offence caused by our recent ‘Smiles’ campaign. Although it was intended to resonate with a current pop culture moment, we recognise that this does not justify the hurt it may have caused. We will do better. We are working to remove the advertisement immediately.”
This controversy underscores the ongoing challenges in achieving cultural sensitivity in advertising.
