Skip to main content

Is this Kraft Heinz Super Bowl ad out of bounds?

Food company has launched an 'uncensored' online-only version of its 30-second television ad
1/25/2019

Sex sells ... frozen food dishes?

Kraft Heinz' frozen-food brand Devour is trying to make waves during its Super Bowl debut with an ad taking a humorous jab at one man's "frozen food porn addiction.''

The ad shows a woman talking about her boyfriend's problem with "frozen food porn,'' and says he watches it several times a day and has a hidden stash of photos of food. Among the suggestive lines is the girlfriend saying that the addiction has made him a ``three-minute man,'' i.e. the amount of time it takes to heat up a frozen meal.

Super Bowl ads have long used raunchiness and sex to stand out during the Super Bowl, advertising's biggest stage. Think Cindy Crawford downing a Pepsi wearing skimpy shorts in 1992 or the 2013 GoDaddy ad that showed a squeamishly close-up shot of a kiss.





But advertisers have largely toned it down in recent years, focusing instead on crowd-pleasing approaches using animals, humour or celebrities. Raunchy ads can easily cross the line, offending or polarizing a company's intended target audience.

The stakes are high since a 30-second ad can cost more than a reported $5 million.

Devour says the 60-second version that debuted online Wednesday is "uncensored'' and a toned-down 30-second version will air during the Super Bowl 53 broadcast Feb. 3.

Other advertisers include Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, Kia, Verizon and many others. Colgate Total was the first advertiser to unveil its Super Bowl ad, on Friday, which stars Luke Wilson as a close talker.

 

 

Advertisement - article continues below
Advertisement
X
This ad will auto-close in 10 seconds