Barilla To Counter Homophobia Scandal with 'More Inclusive' Ads

It’s barely been a month since every frat bro’s favorite pasta maker Barilla suffered a whole lot of bad publicity when its CEO decided to let an Italian radio host know that the company would “never” feature gay people or their families in its ads. This boneheaded move not only led to lots of negative headlines—it also gave competitors like Bertolli and Ronzoni a great opportunity to set themselves apart.

At first, Guido Barilla went out of his way to clarify how few craps he gave about the issue, saying “if the gays do not agree, they can always eat pasta from another manufacturer.”

It was a little shocking how little he knew about the company bearing his name.