Snickers Yanks Homophobic Spanish Ad Under Pressure from LGBTQ+ Groups

Snickers has pulled a controversial commercial in Spain after many condemned the advertisement as homophobic. It comes after a rise in homophobic violence, including the murder of a gay man.

The company released an apology last Thursday and said it was pulling the ad.

"In this particular campaign we wanted to convey in a friendly and lighthearted way that hunger can change your character," Snickers Spain said in a statement posted on Twitter. "At no time was it intended to stigmatize or offend any person or collective."

The commercial shows Aless Gibaja, a Spanish influencer, ordering a "sexy orange juice" with a friend. Gibaja's friend and a waiter both look confused. After the waiter gives Gibaja a Snickers ice cream bar, Gibaja turns into a bearded and deep-voiced man.

The friend asked the new burly figure, "Better?"

To which the bearded man says, "Better."

Spanish LGBTQ+ organizations have come out against the commercial. The State Federation of Lesbians, Gays, Trans, and Bisexuals wrote on Twitter that it was "shameful and regrettable that at this point there are companies that continue to perpetuate stereotypes" that promote homophobia.

The commercial and its fallout come after a growing number of homophobic attacks in the country. A young man was beaten to death in Galicia last month. Several men have been arrested in connection to the attack, reported The Guardian.

Spain's leftist political party Podemos wrote on Twitter, "In the face of a wave of LGBTI-phobia, including attacks and even murders, Snickers can't think of a better idea than to create a trashy commercial that tells you that you are not yourself if you are effeminate."

A spokesperson for Mars Wrigley, the company that owns Snickers, told the Guardian, "We would like to wholeheartedly apologize for any harm caused by a recent advert for Snickers Ice Cream in Spain. We recognize that we got it wrong and have removed the online content immediately. We take equal rights and inclusion seriously, we want a world where everybody is free to be themselves and we believe that as an employer and advertiser we have a role and a responsibility to play our part in creating that world. We will take the opportunity to listen and learn from this mistake and do better in the future."