Magnum Ad Compares Eating Ice Cream to Being Arrested For Being Gay

A Magnum ice cream advertisement comparing eating desserts to the violent oppression of homophobic regimes left consumers with a bitter taste in their mouths.

The ice cream brand has regularly sold its products as "guilty pleasures" using provocative imagery, but seems to have crossed a line for many users with an audio ad.

First flagged by Spotify listeners, the advertisement includes mock testimonials from a man discussing the threat of arrest in a country that outlaws homosexuality.

"A hug for my boyfriend--that's my guilty pleasure," says the narrator, who according to Newsweek, in one spot. "Because in my country, just a simple hug with the man I love could send me to prison for more than 10 years."

The response predictably has been negative.

"What the hell?!? There are at least 3 versions of the magnum ice cream ad that does a bit about being gay would get me X years in prison followed by a get a magnum, pleasure should be guilty. That's fucked," wrote Twitter user @Tatty_is_ALIVE.

"Magnum is comparing the guilt of eating an ice cream to the guilt of being gay in a country where homosexuality is illegal. Bold move Magnum, but maybe no," wrote user @HidayahLGBTQI.

A Magnum spokesman told Newsweek the ad sought "to remind people that what is considered a guilty pleasure isn't always what you would expect."

But at best, many considered the advertisement misguided.

"Really unsure about the Magnum ad that's talking about homosexuality being a 'guilty pleasure' in countries where homosexuality is illegal," wrote user Kyle Flynn-Davies.

"Like thanks for the awareness but also like not okay."