A new advert for Marmite could be banned by the UK's Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) for 'trivializing' animal cruelty, after receiving 250 complaints in the first 24 hours after its first showing.
The TV ad, Marmite's first in two years and part of a £2 million campaign, was played during Coronation Street and instantly sparked both positive and negative comments on its Facebook and YouTube pages.
The ASA said that it was recording and assessing the complaints.
Animal welfare campaigners hit out against the tongue-in-cheek campaign, which aired on ITV on Monday evening.
The commercial follows an animal rescue documentary-style plotline; uniformed inspectors are seen raiding family homes to rescue 'neglected' jars of Marmite.
However, with the strapline "Love It, Hate It, Just Don't Forget It" featuring prominently in the 1:43 minute ad, some industry commentators have suggested that some of the 'backlash' may have been partially generated by the company itself.
Love it? Hate it? Check out the ad here
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Ellen Lunney
