Desperately craving its annual dose of Christmas controversy, UK discount retailer Poundland appears to have plumbed new depths (depending on how you look at things) this festive season.
And, if it’s controversy it wanted, it certainly got it with a social media campaign for Cadbury’s Dairy Milk Fingers.
The Twitter campaign features a woman enjoying some form of orgasmic high alongside the caption, “For a friend who loves a good finger!”
Yes, B&T’s not sure that copywriter graduated from AWARD school but, apparently, Poundland’s social media team is an all-female affair.
Given the retailer’s past efforts, social media rage to its latest campaign appears to be rather muted.
“Harmless advertising or shameless and distasteful use of sex to sell? I wonder how @CadburyIreland feel about this?” wrote one.
“Can’t see this ad staying up for long! Queue the PC brigade,” penned another.
Another added: “In fairness, I love Cadbury’s chocolate fingers but they’ve never made me feel that good so definitely #falseadvertising at the very least.”
“Is it someone’s last day in the Poundland marketing team? And of course, you have sexualised a female in the making of the advert. Nice one,” penned another.
However, Poundland stood by the ad, a spokesperson saying in a statement: “At this time of year, giving our customers a laugh is our (all-female) social media team’s only job as Poundland fills the nation’s stockings.”
The latest campaign continues a long history of controversial and unashamed marketing by Poundland.
As reported on B&T, last January the discount retailer was in strife for selling a range of marshmallows shaped like women’s’ breasts and buttocks.
For its Easter marketing in 2018, it unveiled a social media campaign featuring a stuffed bunny and chick in suggestive and compromising positions.
While its Christmas 2017 campaign, called “Naughty Elf”, garnered global attention after it featured an elf in an array of sexually charged images. The campaign reportedly cost a mere £25 ($A48) to produce.
