ManCrunch
Encyclopedia
ManCrunch is an online dating website specifically aimed at male homosexual relationships, owned by the Toronto-based Avid Life Media, the same company responsible for the Ashley Madison
adultery service and other similarly unconventional dating sites. The site bills itself as a place "where many many many men come to play."
was considering a television advertisement
the site had produced to air during Super Bowl XLIV
. The ad featured a male Packers
fan and a male Vikings
fan reaching into the same bowl of chips at the same time, and after a brief pause, passionately kissing and dry humping each other, much to the surprise of the other man present. The advertisement was initially put on a waiting list before the network outright rejected it due to it violating CBS's broadcast standards. ManCrunch accused CBS of discrimination saying, "If the ad showed a man and woman kissing it would have been accepted.". The New York Post concluded it was “no more racy than nearly any beer commercial not starring the Budweiser Clydesdales.” The ad was accused of being a form of ambush marketing
by analysts, who theorized that the company knew the advertisement would be rejected by CBS, thus drawing free publicity to the site without needing to pay for the game's famously expensive advertising spaces.
Ashley Madison
Ashley Madison is an online dating service and social network service marketed primarily to people who are already in a relationship. The website was launched in 2001....
adultery service and other similarly unconventional dating sites. The site bills itself as a place "where many many many men come to play."
Rejected Super Bowl advertisement
ManCrunch gained major publicity in January 2010 when it was revealed that CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
was considering a television advertisement
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
the site had produced to air during Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV
Super Bowl XLIV was an American football game between the American Football Conference champion Indianapolis Colts and the National Football Conference champion New Orleans Saints to decide the National Football League champion for the 2009 season. The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of...
. The ad featured a male Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
fan and a male Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
fan reaching into the same bowl of chips at the same time, and after a brief pause, passionately kissing and dry humping each other, much to the surprise of the other man present. The advertisement was initially put on a waiting list before the network outright rejected it due to it violating CBS's broadcast standards. ManCrunch accused CBS of discrimination saying, "If the ad showed a man and woman kissing it would have been accepted.". The New York Post concluded it was “no more racy than nearly any beer commercial not starring the Budweiser Clydesdales.” The ad was accused of being a form of ambush marketing
Ambush marketing
Ambush marketing can be defined as a marketing strategy wherein the advertisers associate themselves with, and therefore capitalize on, a particular event without paying any sponsorship fee. The Macmillan English Dictionary defines ambush marketing as a marketing strategy in which a competing...
by analysts, who theorized that the company knew the advertisement would be rejected by CBS, thus drawing free publicity to the site without needing to pay for the game's famously expensive advertising spaces.