Ad Standards board raps burger bar for ‘extremely offensive’ Facebook post
Jindabyne hamburger bar Burger Biz has been told off for using “extremely offensive language” on Facebook promoting its “McKlucka Muthafuka” burger special.
Posting to its Facebook page, Burger Biz said “This weeks [sic] special. Tha McKlucka Muthafuka”.
The Facebook post has since been updated naming the burger ‘Tha Mcklucka’.
Burger Biz argued the ad was only posted on Facebook and used in store – and the burger name was never intended to offend anyone.
“Seriously it’s just a burger. No full language was used it was shortened to be a play on words,” the advertiser said.
The Ad Standards Board recognised the word “muthafuka” would be recognised and associated with the slang word “motherfucker”.
“The language used in the advertisement is easily understood and in the Board’s view, many adults would find this phrase or use of words to be strong, obscene and not appropriate in the context of a Facebook post for a burger place,” the board said.
Burger Biz said the ad has been taken down in response to the ruling.
However, the burger name has just been starred out.
Abigail Dawson was Mumbrella's senior content journalist covering event content. She left Mumbrella to move into an agency role in 2020.
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Ad Standards board need to keep their focus, this wasn’t even a paid ad, it was an organic Facebook post.
The guys on the board have too much time on their hands I think.
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What I neglected to mention at yesterday’s summit was the disparity between our ads which attract outrage (from a very small, but highly vocal minority) and a series of ads that was run by Coke and Diet Coke which features women oggling over guys cutting lawns and washing windows, but apparently that’s okay – double standards? Seriously people get a grip – this is hyper-reality and designed to give people a giggle – which majority of the population agrees with as indicated by a 19% customer growth year on year.
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The formulation “not intended to offend anyone” is on the same level of insincerity as “I’M sorry if YOU were offended.” The debased language of this advertisement warrants a genuine apology and a commitment to a minimum level of acceptable standards in the future.
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I feel the small minded people who complain over a burger need to stay at home and watch the cartoon channel. The real world has images of people being run over or kids holding severed heads. This may have offended you back when number 96 was on tv.
I’m sure you have heard worse at the footy or maybe you don’t go out and have a vegetable garden you stick your head in.
Give small business a go you small minded busy bodies.
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We’ll have to agree to disagree on all your points here.
This level of policing is regulation gone mad – if you’re offended then simply block or unfollow the brand. The user has the power to block this out and return to their dim, grey world of ‘safety’.
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Turn off your televisions, radio’s and don’t go to the cinema either – might come across a swear word here too (god forbid!). I’m going to pay for a Facebook advertisement myself and insert the word fuck as a protest against the free use of the english language.
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While we are at it, perhaps the Ad Standards board should ban all use of the brand “FCUK”. Because “the language used in the is easily understood and in the Board’s view, many adults would find this phrase or use of words to be strong, obscene and not appropriate”.
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The ad also appeared in store. So I guess it’s not a family burger joint.
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