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Cape Town - Anglo-Dutch firm Unilever says it has ordered the withdrawal of a Flora margarine advertisement in South Africa that has been condemned as homophobic, the BBC reported.
The advert features a bullet with the words "Uhh dad I'm gay" flying towards a heart made of china.
The advert, on a pink background, includes the tagline "You need a strong heart today" near the Flora logo.
Flora, owned by Unilever, has long promoted its margarine as helping consumers maintain a healthy heart.
"This advert was prepared by an external agency in South Africa and was not approved by anyone at Unilever," the company said on its Twitter feed.
"The advert is offensive and unacceptable and we have put an immediate stop to it."
UK gay rights group react
UK-based gay rights group Stonewall said it welcomed the withdrawal of the advert.
International advertising firm Lowe and Partner, which designed the controversial advert, said it was "very sorry".
"I would like to unreservedly apologise for this campaign and the unintended offence it has regrettably caused," the firm's Johannesburg managing director Sarah Dexter said.
The advert features a bullet with the words "Uhh dad I'm gay" flying towards a heart made of china.
The advert, on a pink background, includes the tagline "You need a strong heart today" near the Flora logo.
Flora, owned by Unilever, has long promoted its margarine as helping consumers maintain a healthy heart.
"This advert was prepared by an external agency in South Africa and was not approved by anyone at Unilever," the company said on its Twitter feed.
"The advert is offensive and unacceptable and we have put an immediate stop to it."
UK gay rights group react
UK-based gay rights group Stonewall said it welcomed the withdrawal of the advert.
International advertising firm Lowe and Partner, which designed the controversial advert, said it was "very sorry".
"I would like to unreservedly apologise for this campaign and the unintended offence it has regrettably caused," the firm's Johannesburg managing director Sarah Dexter said.
