Ad for piercing studio censured for mocking crucifixion
A tattoo and piercing chain has fallen foul of the advertising watchdog after using a crucifixion image to promote its Easter sale.
The chain, Punktured, has studios in Queensland and Victoria.
One complainant wrote: ” The use of crucifixion imagery in this way, particularly at Easter, is offensive and sacrilegious to Christians.”
Punktured attempted to argue that the image was not a reference to the crucifixion of Christ.
It wrote: “Crucifixion was quite common around 2000 years ago. We have made no references to Christ so I cannot see why the complainant assumes that we are referring to the crucifixion of Christ. Does he recognize the hand?”
Punktured added: “Our ‘Get Nailed’ marketing campaign was meant to be just that; a campaign targeting our customers and our demographic. We don’t sell buns with crosses on them, nor do we sell chocolate rabbits.”
The ASB ruled: “In this advertisement, in the Board’s view, the use of the image of a hand being nailed to a cross to promote body piercing services trivialises and is mocking of the significance of the crucifixion. The Board considered that the use of the term ‘get nailed’ in large font in the centre of the image is demeaning and further adds to the trivialisation of the important part of the Christian faith.”
Tim Burrowes founded Mumbrella in 2008. He worked on Mumbrella until 2021. At various points he was editor, content director and editor-at-large.
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Full disclosure: If this seems a little familiar, it’s not you, it’s me. This is an old story. We posted a version of it a fortnight ago, while I was overseas, and I missed it at the time: https://mumbrella.com.au/get-nailed-ad-watchdog-slams-poster-linking-body-piercings-crucifixion-christ-440549
Cheers,
Tim – Mumbrella