Philadelphia cream cheese advert that portrays men as 'dopey dads' could be banned under gender stereotype rules

A Philadelphia cream cheese advert which portrays men as irresponsible fathers could become the first to be banned under new ASA gender stereotype rules. 

The advert featuring two new fathers who get distracted by the soft cheese long enough for their babies to end up on a conveyor belt of Philadelphia on toast has drawn 32 complaints to the ASA for painting a picture of incompetent dads.

A spokesperson for ASA said: “Complainants have challenged whether the ads break our new rule banning harmful gender stereotypes by implying that fathers are not capable of caring for babies as well as mothers.

“I don’t know whether the ad is still running. We are currently assessing the complaints to determine whether there are grounds for further action.”

The advert comes following the introduction of a rule by The Committees of Advertising Practice (CAP) to prevent sexist portrayals of men and women on 14 June 2019.

The new rule says adverts must not contain "gender stereotypes which are likely to cause harm or serious or widespread offence".

The ban covers adverts that depict a man or a woman failing to achieve a task specifically because of their gender such as a man’s inability to change nappies or a woman’s inability to park a car.

Viewers took to social media to express their outrage. Twitter user Johanna Summers said: “The current Philadelphia Cream Cheese advert showing "1st time dopey Dads" is certainly an example of gender stereotyping.”

Sam Wylie also Tweeted his disbelief writing: “Distracted Dad leaves child on food conveyor belt... 'Let's not tell Mum', he says with an embarrassed smirk after scooping up the tot.”

He added: “Ad seen on Channel 4 tonight, for Philadelphia cream cheese. Sounds like a stereotype case for ASA”.

Another user said that it was “wildly inappropriate” while blogger Vicki Cockerill said that adverts like the Philadelphia one “can be damaging, and they are enforcing the idea that the father is the secondary parent.”

Philadelphia is owned by confectionery, food, and beverage company Mondelez International.

A Mondelez International spokesperson said: “It was never our intention to cause any offence with our new Philadelphia advert.

“We take our advertising responsibility very seriously and work with a range of partners to make sure our marketing meets and complies with UK regulation. This includes pre-approval from a recognised television advertising body, before it is aired to the public.”

The Philadelphia advert was first broadcast in early June and will run until the start of July.

Commenting on the announcement of the new ban, Guy Parker, Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority, said: “Our evidence shows how harmful gender stereotypes in ads can contribute to inequality in society, with costs for all of us.

“Put simply, we found that some portrayals in ads can, over time, play a part in limiting people’s potential.

“It’s in the interests of women and men, our economy and society that advertisers steer clear of these outdated portrayals.”

The ASA gave advertisers six months to prepare for the new rule and said any complaints will be looked at on a case-by-case basis and “will assess each ad by looking at the content and context to determine if the new rule has been broken”.