Commercials that went Controversial recently!

Gillette: ‘We Believe’ (2019)

Gillette, the popular shaving company was going through immense support and hatred after it launched its ‘Positive Masculinity’ ad campaign. The ad aligned perfectly with the #MeToo movement while it carried the “The best men can be” tagline instead of “The best a man can get”.

The ad came up with positive voiceovers like “Bullying, the MeToo movement against sexual harassment, toxic masculinity, is this the best a man can get?”

Here are some of the mixed responses to the ad,

Controversial ‘Gay’ Commercial from Coca-Cola (2019)

Coca-Cola is long known for its controversial ads it releases from time to time. Every once in a while, it comes up with something bold that has people talking about.

In an attempt to promote brand inclusiveness, Coca Cola featured gay couples kissing, captioning the picture ‘Love is love’ in 2019. The ad, featuring same-sex couples kissing each other while holding a bottle of coke has pissed off anti-LGBT politicians in Hungary who have urged the company to take down the ad. Easier said than done, Coca-Cola is resilient and shows no signs of taking it down.

In a statement, a Coca-Cola spokesperson said that “The Coca-Cola Company strives for diversity, inclusion, and equality in our business, and we support these rights in society as well. As a long-standing supporter of the LGBTQI community, we believe everyone has the right to love the person they choose. The campaign currently running in Hungary reflects these values.”

Coca Cola seems to have done thorough research before placing an ad as such in public spaces. It strategically chose Hungary to execute this controversial ad because a fair number of people support LGBT rights.

According to a 2017 poll, 64% of Hungarians agreed that gay, lesbian, and bisexual people should enjoy the same rights as straight people. Additionally, 69% agreed that they should be protected from workplace discrimination. Apart from those stats more than the majority of people believe that they should have the same rights and given equal employment opportunities.

Great move Coca-Cola.