On Saturday millions of football fans watched as Real Madrid won the European Cup in one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures on the sporting calendar.
But, according to a Heineken advert shown in Brazil before the game, none of the spectators were women, as they were too busy shopping for shoes instead.
In the ad, the beer teamed up with Shoestock to offer a shoe sale with 50 percent discounts online and in stores, starting at the same time as the game, to keep wives and girlfriends of fans occupied.
In the short clip, a voice-over offered men the chance to watch the game with their friends “without ditching the wife, because this time she’ll be ditching you”. The narrator added that the sale would give women “everything to make her think only about shoes, and especially not about where you are”.
It ended by saying that you – a male fan – would be happy with your friends, while your wife would be happy with you.
The film, which was made by Wieden+Kennedy, provoked outcries of sexism from female sports fans in Brazil before it was removed from YouTube. That isn’t surprising, given that during the 2010 World Cup, the majority of Brazilian viewers were women.
One user wrote: “Thank you, Heineken, for reminding me that my place is JUST in a store thinking about my appearance and not drinking your beer, which was my favourite, watching sports with my friends, which I thought was fun.” – Daily Mail