The Statement
AAP FactCheck examined a Facebook post from July 12, 2019 which features a screenshot of an individual’s complaint to Campbell’s Soup about a 2015 soup advertisement featuring a same-sex couple feeding their son.
The screenshot is of a complaint made on Facebook by a user called Kim Spears Cook, which reads: “Your new commercial with the 2 dads makes me sick.”
Below the comment is a response, made by a user called ‘Customer Service’, with a Campbell’s Soup can as its profile picture. The response reads:
“Hi Kim! If you’re feeling sick, we suggest enjoying a delicious can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup. Make sure to enjoy it hot, so that it can help warm up your cold, dead heart.”
The July 12, 2019 post, by an Australian user, has been shared more than 24,000 times and attracted 12 comments.
The Analysis
Campbell Soup Company is an American food and drinks multinational that was founded in 1869. The company’s canned soup featured in an iconic artwork created by artist Andy Warhol in 1962.
In 2015, Campbell’s launched an advertisement campaign in collaboration with the J.J Abrams-directed Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
The advertisement featured two fathers feeding their young son Campbell’s soup while impersonating Darth Vader’s famous ‘I am your father’ line from 1980’s Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
The Campbell’s advertisement ends with the line, “Made for real, real life.”
When unveiling the new advertising campaign in 2015, Campbell’s vice president of marketing Yin Woon said the company wanted to “show actual families, which means families of different configurations, cultures, races and life choices.”
The advertising campaign attracted criticism from some socially conservative groups and customers upset at the use of a same-sex couple.
One criticism came from Kim Spears Cook, whose comment on Campbell’s Facebook wall: “Your new commercial with the 2 dads makes me sick” was met with the response from “Customer Service”.
“Customer Service”, which featured Warhol’s Campbell’s soup artwork as its profile picture, that Kim might try “a delicious can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup” if feeling sick. The response ended with: “Make sure to enjoy it hot, so that it can help warm up your cold, dead heart.”
American fact-check organisation Snopes confirmed in November 2015 that Campbell’s had no connection to the ‘Customer Service’ account, which Snopes revealed was run by comedians Ben Palmer and Nick Price.
In an email to Snopes, Campbell’s confirmed that “the Facebook account shown in the screen grab is not connected to Campbell’s Soup in any way.”
Additionally, Campbell’s does not have a separate Facebook account to respond to online comments or complaints and instead responds directly from the verified “Campbell’s” account.
The Verdict
As was confirmed by Snopes in November 2015, the response to Kim Spears Cook from the ‘Customer Service’ account was made by two comedians and not by Campbell’s.
False – The Facebook post is false.
First published September 2, 2019 16:40 AEST
