Chupa Chups, Cop

A man and his girlfriend in the passenger seat are pulled over by a motorcycle cop. Before the cop walks over, the driver pops a Smint mint into his mouth and hands them to his girlfriend.

The cop, still wearing his helmet and sunglasses, leans into the window but, instead of asking for the man's license, grabs the shocked driver and kisses him squarely on the lips and walks away with a smirk.

This is the third gay-themed commercial from Smint. While more and more advertisers are creating gay-themed commercials for the first time, Smint miniature triangle mints is one of a growing number of brands that are already revisiting the concept. \t

Another ad from the same campaign shows a young man who decides to get some snapshots of himself in a mechanical photo booth. He eats a Smint and as the flash starts firing, various people jump into the booth to ravage and kiss him -- including another man -- then a horde of people.

The campaign first appeared in Chicago, Miami and major West Coast cities as well as in Germany and Spain, where manufacturer Chupa Chups is based. Even though the commercial caused some negative comments early on in the U.S., the company has since expanded it to other American markets and the U.K.

"The spirit of the campaign is very much tongue-in-cheek," says Lordes Santin, international communications manager for Chupa Chups in Barcelona.

Of course the main humor is based on men kissing other men. But Santin says that "there was not an intention to accent homosexuality or heterosexuality in the commercial -- you just would never expect a policeman to kiss anyone." Her explanation of the concept is that "the ads are about cross-social magnetism and how Smint unleashes a spontaneous reaction. It really stood out -- that’s what you want advertising to do."

How does the commercial play in the company's home country, where Latin machismo often rules? She says the ad, which targets men and women ages 18–35, "does really well in Spain. It appeals to young people and for them it becomes a non-issue."

Despite some "negative publicity" in the US over the cop kissing commercial, according to Smint's U.S. brand manager, Santin dismisses any concerns by saying, "There have been some who really like it and some who don't like it. You can't please everyone all the time."

In Smint’s 1996 U.S. introduction, a gay couple appeared in another campaign that aired on MTV in the U.S. and overseas. With the tagline "No Smint, No Kiss," the offbeat commercial melodramatically showed people (and one dog) avoiding kisses due to bad breath.

Created by ad agency Specktakular in Bonn, Germany, the song warbles, "I want to kiss you, just kiss you..." and one member of each couple -- including two men -- pushes the other away. The male couple was included so quickly and seamlessly they could almost be missed.

A growing number of marketers have visited gay themes two or even three times – including MTV, Heineken, IKEA, Polaroid and others -- indicating the success they’ve found in getting the attention of people and the media.

Chupa Chups also explored the idea of hiring a gay marketing agency to test its mainstream cop commercial to make sure it didn't offend the gay community, but then backed out for an unknown reason. And with mint competitor Altoids already in the gay market, Chupa Chups separately considered the possibility of exploring the gay niche as well but did not follow through.

German gay market consultant and ad columnist Michael Stuber, who publishes Rosa Brille wrote this about the ad: "Isn‘t it a fantasy for many gay men to be stopped by a real US cop and … ?! This is certainly not the case for middle-class Americans, driving a middle-class car with a middle-class blonde wife next to them. Eating a Smint just beforehand is his undoing: It makes the officer so passionate that the latter uses all his authority in an intense and excessive way! Joy for one, pain for the other? And even in the land of unlimited prudishness, the overweight pedestrian couldn’t care less. "