Food giant Unilever acts as number of complaints that campaign trivialised work of animal and children's charities rises to 330
Marmite is looking to fend off accusations that it mocked animal charities and chid protection agencies in its latest TV ad by donating £18,000 to the RSPCA.
The move comes as complaints to watchdog the Advertising Standards Authority grew to 330 by the end of Wednesday.
The £18,000 equates to the cost of keeping an RSPCA inspector on the road, according to the animal welfare charity.
The figure, however, represents a drop in ocean to Marmite owner Unilever, which last year made profits of £5.61bn.
Matt Cull, an RSPCA fundraiser, said: "Love the advert or hate it – we are thrilled to announce that Marmite have put their money where there 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 are very grateful for their generosity."
The spoof ad has attracted a variety of complaints, with some accusing it of poor taste while other claims it trivialises the work of animal welfare charities and child protection agencies.
The ASA is expected to make a decision next week as to whether to launch a formal investigation into the ad.
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