A photo of a rainbow-themed Oreo cookie
to support Gay Pride on the brand's Facebook page in June has been
rated the year's top gay ad by BuzzFeed.com.
The simple message of support included
a chocolate Oreo cookie filled with six layers of rainbow-colored
icing along with the caption, “June 25 | PRIDE.”
The image went viral on social media.
Some Oreo Facebook fans criticized the
brand and parent company Kraft Foods, Inc, the world's third largest
food and beverage company by revenue.
“I'm never eating Oreos again. This
is disgusting,” wrote a supposed former fan.
“Unliking page and the rest of the
'kraft' family products,” wrote another. “I will not support a
company with these views.”
A supporter wrote: “Oreos, keep
supporting what you want to. Don't let religious nuts stop you from
making this world better. You have a lot more respect from me.”
The ad was also criticized by One
Million Moms, the group closely associated with the American Family
Association (AFA), which said the company was making a business
mistake by supporting gay rights.
In defending the ad, Kraft said it “has
a proud history of celebrating diversity and inclusiveness. We feel
the OREO ad is a fun reflection of our values.”
(At BuzzFeed: The
12 best gay ads of 2012.)
(Related: “Good
God, Oreos are gay!” Stephen Colbert exclaims.)