Bug is not a breadstick.I saw this over at Kim.Kim’s. Pizza Hut has launched a campaign called “Adopt A Bite.” (I am guessing this is only in the UK?)

It is basically a viral marketing plan based off of this website-Adopt A Bite Now.

A bite is apparently like a breadstick with cheese in the middle?

And the website is pretending to be an adoption agency:

Everyone is welcome to adopt! It doesn’t matter if you’re a single mum or dad, or a teenager, a senior citizen, a size 14 or a French politician. Even short people and married couples with children may adopt with AFAOLB™.

Now usually I don’t get all wrapped up in the use of the word “adopt” in other circles than the actual transfer of legal rights from one parent to another. Adopt a Highway, for instance, doesn’t really bother me. I know that it bothers a lot of people, but when I pick my battles, it falls rather low on the list.

But a page like this?

It details the reasons you should “adopt a bite” and it is full of adoption stereotypes and just blatant disgusting comparisons. Even if you can get past the idea that they are equating adopted children and pieces of cheese filled bread, can you get past statements like this?

Without a loving family it’s hard for a little bite to develop its full potential and live a successful life. Many orphaned bites end up in the gutter struggling day by day to survive. Even more unfortunate bites end up on the black market, a lawless underworld where the ethics of society don’t apply.

Right. Because most adoptions are done on the black market. And the page goes on to ask the bite why he was abandoned (because he was premature), asks him if he understood that no one wanted him, and includes pictures of “orphaned bites” begging for money.

Wow. How utterly tasteless. (Which is never a good thing for a food ad)

I don’t think I need to tell you that adopted children are often very much wanted, even if they are technically abandoned. And I use the word abandon here to mean actual abandonment, NOT what mothers do when they make an adoption plan. Yet, this website grabs onto every negative stereotype about adoption and runs with it.

The letter Pizza Hut wrote back to Kim.Kim says that they wanted to focus on the positive sides of adoption, which I guess they are meaning when new parents can click on the shiny yellow button that says “Adopt Now” and be handed over their very own cheesy bread.

I don’t think an ad for a breadstick needs to go into the complex issues surrounding adoption and loss, but at the same time, using the way people build their family as a way to sell pizza is pretty lame. But if they wanted to use adoption as the center of their ad, then why did they do it in such a disgusting and sensationalized way?

I do not hide a lot of things from Bug, but I know she would be hurt by that ad. And I can imagine children who were actually abandoned by their parents would be even more so. And judging from what Kim.Kim said on her site, it hurts moms like her as well.

I guess Pizza Hut is getting what they want though, by using a viral campaign like this because here I am talking about it.

I’m not saying that we need to treat adoption like it is a fragile piece of pottery that we can’t even be in the same room with. And it isn’t even the idea that you can adopt a breadstick (which I find pretty stupid) that is so offensive..it is how they portrayed adoption. Come save a poor lonely cheesestick that no one wanted.

I wouldn’t even be so offended if it was done by a comedy team, but on a website advertising a family restaurant (and I am guessing this campaign spreads further than just this website with TV ads etc) then this type of advertisement is disgusting.

Technorati Tags: adoption, Pizza Hut, Adopt A Bite

This entry was posted on Thursday, December 14th, 2006 at 1:39 pm and is filed under Uncategorized, adoption, Holidailies, Hey. You suck.. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.