'Real men' mustard ads called 'chauvinist'

A Swedish company has been branded as "chauvinist" by Facebook commentators outraged by a mustard ad campaign geared toward "real men." The Facebook page for Druvan, manufacturer of Johnny's Senap mustard, has been receiving angry comments about its "Real Men Grill" campaign, which involves advertisements with slogans including "Real men don't sew their own clothes" and "Real men don't wear deodorant," The Local reported Tuesday. Many of the comments accuse the company of being "chauvinist." Kristina Ljungkvist, marketing director for Druvan, defended the advertisements. "Our target group has always been men, and I think that's one of the factors behind our success; that we actually dare to direct ourselves to men. All other retail businesses are directed to women," she told the Dagens Media newspaper. Ljungkvist said the company has no plans to discontinue the campaign. "All I can say is that in my profession as a marketer, it's hard to please everybody," she said. "We're a small company, and need to do something tongue in cheek to get some attention."