Advertising Watchdog Cracks Down On French Connection
The advertising watchdog is clamping down on French Connection after the high-profile clothing brand used its controversial FCUK trademark in a nation-wide poster campaign promoting its recently launched FM radio station.
The Advertising Standards Authority’s Committee of Advertising Practice has ordered French Connection to pre-vet all of its posters for the next two years after ruling that consumers would interpret the FCUK trademark as the common expletive.
All future posters for FCUK-branded merchandise will now need to be approved by the CAP Copy Advice team before contractors will accept them for display across the UK. The poster that caused the controversy stated: “FCUK FM from pnuk to rcok and back. Non-stop fnuk. Fcuk FM.”
Commenting on the ruling, Roger Wisby, secretary of CAP, said: “French Connection has been warned against using its trademark in a way that many find offensive. The poster pre-vet procedure was introduced for advertisers who have complaints upheld against their posters on the grounds of taste and decency or social responsibility.”
The ASA has repeatedly warned French Connection against using its FCUK trademark in a way that could cause offence. The advertising watchdog recently slammed the clothing brand for distributing free condoms with t-shirts bearing the slogan ‘practice safe sex, go fcuk yourself.’
French Connection’s controversial approach to advertising has proved successful in generating publicity for the brand. However, the ongoing FCUK campaign failed to make it into Propeller Communications list of most talked about ads for 2003.
The table was topped by Easyjet’s controversial ‘Weapon of mass distraction’ ads featuring a woman’s breasts. The ads were written about in national newspapers more than any other during 2003 after attracting 186 complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority (see EasyJet Creates Most Talked About Ads Of 2003).
ASA: 020 7580 555 www.asa.org.uk
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