Nik lives in Essex, UK and works in London as the editor of MacUser magazine. The posts and comments on this site do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions of values of his employers.
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Tesco is opening a new store on Dean Street, one road up from Old Compton Street, on which London has its densest concentration of gay bars and businesses.
So, are its new adverts at Tottenham Court Road (the closest tube station) amusing, clever, or offensive stereotypes? I’m opting for amusing, but I suspect I may be in a minority.
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11 Responses to “Tesco goes gay”
Hey Nik,
I’m not usually offended by advertising, but I have to say the Tesco/Dean Street ads have annoyed me. I wonder if by choosing the most unimaginative, hackneyed gay cliches to brand their new store, Tesco thinks they’ll attract their target market. These ads would probably have been amusing in 1975, but we don’t live in a time warp. If you’re going to play on gay, at least try something that is fresh and relevant to modern society. Big thumbs down, though not egregious enough to warrant a complaint to the ASA.
Cheers
As a gay man, how bloody hilarious!
Never laughed so much for a long time. It’s not offensive. Tesco know exactly how to market to gay people in an ironic way without causing offense!
Well done for taking the initiatinve and blaring it over the tube stations!
• Posted at 2:59 pm on December 18th, 2003 by Mike.How I laughed ! Didn’t find it remotely offensive at all, and I’m as Gay as you like. There’ll be some right on PC screamer who will be offended, but it’s just irony at its’ best !
• Posted at 10:05 am on December 21st, 2003 by Simon.Some of you need to get a grip! They are hilarious, and although a little cliche do reflect the spirit of the area in a medium everyone will understand.
• Posted at 1:43 pm on December 23rd, 2003 by Michael.saw these today and wondered if there was anything on the web about it and here it is. at first i found these ads funny but ultimately they reminded me there is little in media that fails to reinforce these and other negative stereotypes.
• Posted at 9:43 pm on December 27th, 2003 by Steve.Offensive? Well only if u have no sense of humour. They are Ads for a supermarket, so I don
• Posted at 10:59 am on January 5th, 2004 by Jei Tootle.Havent they seen that beer commercial set in an amsterdam supermarket? Can’t someone sue them?!
god, i cant believe they paid an ad agency to come up with such boring mindless LAZY crap? its almost as boring as Soho’s gay atmosphere itself (which is saying something)!
at least if they were offensive it would be interesting. And why the f–k do gay people have to be represented by those twats the village people?! they’re awful! Its just the tediousness that makes me embarressed to be gay! Although the gimp guy is quite amusing- will tesco be selling such outfits in store, or will they deliver to my door? and if so, accompanied by a moustachioed delivery man?
And why do they always stick a rent-a-granny in these “nudge nudge wink wink” ads?
They should have made it more real to life and had some guys with cucumbers, marrows and plantain bananas and some baby oil in a basket at the counter….at least some moron would have had the excuse to find that mildly offensive!
• Posted at 10:45 pm on January 6th, 2004 by alex.Just seen those amazing ads for tesco metro, how refreshing to see ads that make you laugh, who ever created these works of art deserves a pay rise.
• Posted at 11:32 am on January 22nd, 2004 by Craig Hanratty.I have been lead to believe that due to ONE complaint to the Advertising Standards chappies, Tescos have had their knuckles rapped and the Ad’ - pending appeal - has had to be withdrawn 
What a shame! I saw it and burst out laughing. As to those who thought it was negative & stereotypical - strikes me as a stereotypically negative outlook 
GW.
It stuck this gay man as amusing, and I see no reason why such amusing and inoffensive ads should be withdrawn.
Thinking about it again, there is perhaps one thing that might reasonably cause offence: what was done to the terrier was plainly non-consensual 
Does anyone know if copies of the posters are available for sale?
Well, I’d defer to stereotypical through laziness and unoriginality myself. Offensive? Possibly. If anybody thinks they are, then they should complain to the Advertising Standards Authority (http://www.asa.org.uk/) - but they should do so only after witnessing the ad first-hand (i.e., at TCR tube station); it’s not enough to email them saying “I saw the photos on Nik Rawlinson’s excellent and informative weblog”
• Posted at 1:26 pm on December 11th, 2003 by Scott Matthewman.