Unilever donates £18,000 to animal charity after row over Marmite ad
TV viewers have lodged around 400 complaints about documentary-style spoof
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Unilever has donated £18,000 to the RSPCA following hundreds of complaints that its Marmite ad trivialises the work of animal welfare agencies.
Television viewers have so far lodged around 400 complaints about the documentary-style spoof which first screened on Monday evening.
Matt Cull, from the RSPCA's fundraising department, confirmed the donation, saying: "Love the advert or hate it, we are thrilled to announce that Marmite have put their money where their mouth is and are spreading the love for animal welfare by making a donation to the RSPCA.
"Marmite have offered us £18,000, which is how much it costs to run our inspectorate service for one day. This will make a massive difference to the animals and we are very grateful for their generosity."
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said it had received around 400 complaints about the ad.
Complainants objected that it was in poor taste and trivialised the work of animal welfare charities and child protection agencies, while others found it "deeply offensive".
The ASA said no decision had been made on whether it would investigate.
PA
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments