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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

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