Snickers pulls the plug on ice cream advert following homophobia outcry

Snickers has decided to ditch its ice cream advert after accusations of homophobia.

There were calls to boycott the brand after its new video campaign went viral, forcing the company to act.

The ad sees Spanish influencer Aless Gibaja transform into a bearded man with a low voice after eating the treat.

He is at a beach bar with a friend where he asks a waiter for a "sexy orange juice with vitamins A, B and C".

The man is offered the Snickers ice cream, and takes a bite before getting a new look.

"Better?" the friend asks. "Better," replies the man.

There were calls to boycott the chocolate bar because of the ad ( Snickers)

The slogan then reads: "You're not yourself when you're hungry."

It comes weeks after the fatal beating of a young gay man in an alleged homophobic attack in Spain.

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The killing of 24-year-old Samuel Luiz was described by Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez as a “savage and merciless act”.

The company were slammed for the ad, with the State Federation of Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals tweeting: "It is shameful and regrettable that at this point there are companies that continue to perpetuate stereotypes and promote homophobia."

Snickers apologised for any “misunderstanding that may have been caused”.

It is not the first time they have had to say sorry after gay people found their ads offensive.

In 2008, the A Team's Mr T called a speeding walker a "disgrace to the man race", which drew criticism.

Snickers Spain said on Thursday it was removing the advert.

"In this specific campaign, the aim was to convey in a friendly and casual way that hunger can change your character," it said in a statement.

"At no time has it been intended to stigmatise or offend any person or group."

A spokesperson for parent company Mars Wrigley said the firm "got it wrong" and recognised the error they had made.

“We would like to whole heartedly apologise for any harm caused by a recent advert for Snickers Ice Cream in Spain.

"We recognise that we got it wrong and have removed the online content immediately.

"We take equal rights and inclusion seriously, we want a world where everybody is free to be themselves and we believe that as an employer and advertiser we have a role and a responsibility to play our part in creating that world.

"We will take the opportunity to listen and learn from this mistake and do better in the future.”

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