KFC KOs Kipling
According to a Guardian report the Kentucky Fried Chicken TV commercial which features three helpline ladies singing with their mouths full has become the most complained about TV ad in UK history. It knocks out the previous winner, last year’s real-birth nativity play for Mr Kipling’s mince pies, by 1040 complaints to 806.
But it is not the most complained about advert in the Advertising Standards Authority’s history. That honour goes to the British Safety Council, who produced a leaflet to mark National Condom Week. They prompted 1,100 complaints for their image of the Pope wearing a crash helmet with the slogan
Eleventh commandment: thou shalt always wear a condom.
If anyone can send in a scan of that picture, I will anoint their feet with fragrant ointments.
UPDATE: MWW readers have missed their chance of a smelly footrub. I found it myself. Here it is, the UK’s most complained about advert ever!
Wasn’t “Dr” Shell after some statistics for something?
Isn’t this a statistic that shows that people are more offended by people eating with their mouths full than people taking the mickey out of religion?
By the way, I know it isn’t, but unlike someone else, I don’t try to misrepresent the facts.
I don’t get why this advert is “offensive”! What’s wrong with it – it’s really funny and isn’t meant to offend anyone. I don’t understand how anybody could possibly get offended by it!
*Starts looking for Pope picture*
I think the KFC complaints were on the basis that it could set a bad example to children. Because, of course, no child has ever spoken with ther mouth full until now
hmmm, is that a big cock going from bottom right to top left of the box on the pope’s helmet i see?
Hi Andrew
Statistics are rotten, highly flexible. Unfortunately other ways of weighing evidence are even more fallible. So we are stuck with stats as the ‘least bad’ criterion.
Actually, doc, statistics aren’t rotten. It’s people who try to misrepresent them who are rotten. Accurate figures can give you an accurate picture of a situation, where it can be appropriately and accurately measured numerically. Where it can’t, then people trying to use spurious stats to back up their feeble arguments because they lack the wherewithal to elucidate their point of view give statistics a bad name.
Fine – you can see from my characterisation of stats as ‘the least bad criterion’ that Im essentially pro-statistics, for want of anything better.
I wonder if there are some people who watch TV just so they can find things to be offended by and winge about.
Obviously on the evidence of these numpties who complained about this advert the answer is a might YES!
I can’t see what that is on the Pope’s hat – what is it?
a big cock going from bottom right to top left of the box on the pope’s helmet. at least, that’s what i reckon