The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2024
Heinz erased a Black father from a wedding ad — then its smile ad drew blackface heat
In October 2024, Heinz apologised for a tube ad showing a Black bride with no Black father. Days later, its ketchup-smile campaign drew blackface comparisons.
Kraft Heinz
What happened
On October 4, 2024, author Nels Abbey posted a photo of a Heinz London Underground advertisement for 'ridiculously good family size' ketchup on X. The ad showed a wedding scene: a Black bride seated among white guests and a white groom — no Black father present. Abbey wrote: 'For my brothers with daughters — Because, believe it or not, Black girls have Dads too.' Critics called it 'total erasure of Black fathers.'
On October 6, Heinz apologised: 'We understand how this ad could have unintentionally perpetuated negative stereotypes. We extend our deepest apologies.' The statement was still live when, the same weekend, Heinz released its 'Smiles' campaign by agency Gut New York — three portraits with ketchup smeared across mouths to resemble Joker-style grins. The Black subject's image drew immediate comparisons to blackface minstrel caricatures.
Both controversies landed during the UK's Black History Month. Creative director Andre Gray wrote: 'How are we still lacking the diverse teams and cultural competency to have the semiotics of our imagery properly scrutinised before it gets out in the world?'
Why it happened
- Two strikes in one week: the second ad was approved and released while the apology for the first was still on the company's social channels — no review process had been triggered.
- The first ad was absence, the second was presence: erasing a Black father from a family scene and then smearing ketchup on a Black face are opposite errors that point to the same blind spot.
- Black History Month was the backdrop: UK cultural calendars are public — a Heinz team that missed the timing twice in October was not checking context at all.
- The agency-client gap: Gut New York created the 'Smiles' campaign, but Heinz approved it — the cultural-competence gap was shared.
The lesson
Two ads, same month, same blind spot: erasure then caricature. An apology that does not change the approval process is a press release.
Sources
- AOL / The Guardian — 'Heinz sparks outrage over blackface ad comparison, days after erasing Black fathers', 2024-10
- The Drum — 'Brands let the DE&I fire burn out: can the Heinz controversy reignite it?', 2024-10
spotted an error? The club wants to know.
More like this
Wakker Dier's 'correction' — one in four cows lame — was itself misleading, the RCC ruled
The Good Roll sold 10% green bonds — the risks only lived in the prospectus
OceanSaver called its laundry pods 'plastic-free' — a rival's complaint got the ad banned
Somewhere, someone solved the problem this company failed at. 2nd Opinion →
Comments · 0
Sign in to join the comments.