The Advertising Standards Board has banned an ad for fresh food delivery company Youfoodz featuring a boy imitating fiery TV chef Gordon Ramsay.
The ad aired in primetime, including during Nine’s The Block. “How long do you think this took me to cook? One? Try two forking minutes… Un-forking believable,” the boy tells viewers.
One complaint to the ASB said: “The boy was using the term “forking” in what was a clear reference to the term ‘fucking’ and we consider this totally inappropriate for the timeslot.”
The ad featured a fiery young redheaded chef: ‘Two forking minutes”
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One complaint to the ad watchdog said the spot was “totally inappropriate” and should not have aired during The Block, “a family show”.
Youfoodz defended the ad, arguing: “This advertisement does not include any strong or obscene terms. The advertisement does feature the word ‘forkin’ in a light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek manner that is appropriate in the context of a kitchen, and that we sell ready-made meal company and a fork is needed to consumer our meals. It is not used in conjunction with offensive imagery or in an aggressive way.
The ASB has similarly ruled in favour of similar innuendo-laden ads, including BCF’s “BCF-ing fun”. However, it has also ruled against “CU in the NT” and “F*ck that’s Delicious”.
In the case of Yoofoodz, the ASB ruled that the ad had gone too far towards using inappropriate language. It said: “The majority of the Board however noted that whilst most members of the community would not expect a child to actually say the word ‘fucking’ in a television advertisement, in the Board’s view the way the young boy says the word ‘forkin’’ makes it sound very close to the strong swear word it is clearly imitating.”
In response to the ruling, Youfoodz said it would modify the ad.