Party City ran a commercial that referred to gluten-free people as 'gross' - and customers are furious
- Party City ran a commercial that inferred that people who eat gluten free are "gross."
- The commercial was advertising pre-Super Bowl deals at the discount party store, and people were offended.
- In a statement, Party City apologized for the commercial and promised to make a donation to the Celiac Foundation.
Party City is in a tight spot after it ran a pre-Super Bowl advertisement that critics say is offensive to people who don't eat gluten.
In the commercial, a host of a Super Bowl party is chatting with a guest. "What is that?" the guest asks, motioning to a sad-looking plate of gluten-free snacks. "Those are some gluten-free options," the host says.
"Do we even know people that are like that?" the guest inquires. "Tina," comes the response from the host.
"Oh, gross, yeah" the guest replies.
Take a look at the commercial below.
It's unclear if, in the world of the commercial, the "gross" is referring to gluten-free people in general or just this unseen Tina.
Whatever the case, people who suffer from a gluten-free allergy and those with celiac disease took umbrage with the commercial on social media. Critics say it downplays the severity of the disease and difficulty of living with the allergy.
"Your new ad mocking people who eat gluten free is inconsiderate and wrong at best," one Twitter user wrote to Party City. "My celiac disease is not your punchline."
"Your commercial is disgusting. Do you have any idea how hard it is to live with a life threatening food allergy?" another one reads. "I will not be shopping at your store anymore."
Party City has since pulled the commercial from all spots, and issued an apology statement on Instagram:
The Future of Retail 2018 by the BI Intelligence Research Team.
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