GoodTime Burgers takes to Tinder and hits out at ad ban
The marketing boss behind a controversial burger advert banned by the Advertising Standards Bureau (ASB) has said she does not feel it is “degrading” to women, and said the brand has been using Tinder to expand its reach.
GoodTime Burger has received criticism on social media after an ad showing a woman with a burger between her buttocks published in Bondi community magazine The Beast went viral on social media after an article in The Daily Telegraph about it.
However, marketing manager Laura Brown said the brand had benefitted from the extra publicity, and had sold out of burgers twice since the first store opened in The Eastern Hotel in Bondi Junction in mid-December.
She told Mumbrella: “We were surprised the ad was banned by the ASB. It was targeted at the audience living in that area in a local magazine and we did not feel it was degrading to women, it was irreverent humour.
“We wanted to. Get maximum exposure for the advert, but we have been very surprised with ow much exposure we have received.”
Rikki Kasso, creative director of Meso Creative, said the ad was targeted at the core demographic for the brand of creative professionals males aged 25-35.
He added: “The image encompassed our entire vocabulary and communication strategy for the GoodTime brand. Sun, Fun, and Buns. The extra large, fresh baked buns being the GoodTime Burgers distinct point of difference, coupled with the Bondi location where bikini’s seem to be a uniform.
“The point was to speak to our audience exclusively, and that we have achieved. The image itself has some people feeling violated and even led them to conclusions beyond our original intent. If the advertisement invoked any emotion hopefully it was a pleasant one, and above all its OK to smile and have a laugh once in a while.”
Brown said the brand had already established a good following on Facebook, and through its social media agency Empire Entertainment had created a Tinder account, taking advantage of the more personal approach offered by the location based dating app.
“The brand has a female personality, so we have a female account,” she said. “We’ve had sme pretty good reaction so far from there, it’s an interesting channel.”
The brand is owned by Andrew Lazarus who has an interest in The Eastern Hotel and Sydney pubs Soho and The Cock and Bull, and Brown said there are plans to extend the franchise.
Alex Hayes
Hi Alex. Perhaps a bit of proofreading wouldn’t go amiss? I particularly enjoyed reading about the ‘ovation based daring app’!
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Hi Steve,
You’re right – that was sloppy. Having a little trouble with the app today – had to write this story four times!
Cheers,
Alex, editor, Mumbrella
Target demo Males 25-35 right on target poorly executed. I’m surprised that they are surprised that it was banned. Crickey !
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‘It’s ok to smile and have a laugh sometime’ says Kasso.
Yeah, sure IT IS. But, it’s better to smile and have a laugh at things that don’t have their roots firmly planted in a history of sexism, degradation and hyper-sexualisation.
We get it. You speak to your target audience of males by making them feel empowered and superior and OTHER to women – who are for the ads purposes a bit of objectified flesh.
It works. You get your cash. Your male customers feel empowered and become loyal to you for turning women off and helping them internalise the very negative message of objectification.
And why not get some of the action? In Melboure there’s Tits N Schnitz. Sexism is cool, why not capitalise on it?
Seeing as ‘having a laugh’ at the completely inappropriate is seen as edgy and trendy, excuse me while I go and concoct an ad that makes fun of male war veterans virility – oh hold on, Yumi Stynes did that and nearly lost her job over it.
Seems like ‘having a laugh’ at the expense of gender is an exclusively male right.
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Hi Kate, What about the part where Bikini’s are a uniform? If the bikini fabrics were made of frilly lace, they would lounging on the beach in their underwear. Is that not a hyper-sexualization in public that women choose on their own free will to advertise their own health and vanity?
Women are used in advertising simply because the feminine qualities are appreciated by BOTH male and female. Male imagery barely appeals to women. The creative potency of a women has had a place throughout history, especially in area of art and imagination.
Are you also saying the women that DID smile at the ad are the helpless victims to the “exclusively male” sense of humour ?
Your rage seems to be enamored in a feeling of insecurity and self righteousness, bouncing at a chance to defend your personal perspective while vilifying the women that share a different opinion. Slightly harsher than the ad itself, wouldn’t you say?
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I wonder why a person would feel the need to use words like “rage” at a woman you know nothing about who has displayed no rage at all. Odd. Almost like projection.
Or would feel the need to minimise and pretend that pretend that in our extremely sexualised systemically sexist society women taking their clothes off for money and jiggling around for the male gaze is a real choice. Also very odd.
Almost like someone is not terribly bright or someone who – in their venomous rage – is pretending not to understand something appalling. I suppose if you were that sort of person you would just enjoy the systemic sexism. And only get enraged when places like S*** Burgers were forced to behave like human beings and treat women like human beings.
Bizarre behaviour, overall.
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I would like to complain about this article because it says Mr. Lazarus has an interest in The Cock and Bull. Think of the kiddies for goodness sake.
Or was the iPad playing up and it was “The Cock and Balls”. Now there’s a pub I’d like to do the signwriting for!
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Jon Sexon women do use their free will to sit naked on cheeseburgers in public. So it’s ok on television? Your feeble argument in defence of advertising is a joke.
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Mpire Entertainment
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It’s one ad, the rest of what I’ve seen hasn’t been anywhere near as sexist.
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Besides this one bum ad that got banned, I think Mpire is doing a really good job. I’ve been following their social media strategy since I saw the posters in Surry Hills. Totally sparked my curiosity! And their take on Tinder is just genius! Let’s face it…you gotta take it where the kids are.
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