FCUK S'pore furore 'storm in a teacup'

The recent furore surrounding the advertising that promoted the

FCUK brand in Singapore has been described by the island republic's 4As

president as nothing more than "a storm in a teacup".

Bernard Chan said the complaints were not representative of Singapore as

a whole and that they only came from "some quarters".

However, he said that if people could not accept the French Connection,

United Kingdom clothing trademark, then that would be a black day for

the Lion City.

"Some people are making the issue bigger than it deserves to be, but at

the end of the day we need more creativity and that means greater

liberalisation, and from the advertising practitioners' point of view we

either adopt a more liberal stance or we don't," Mr Chan told MEDIA.

Controversy erupted after the advertising, which consisted simply of the

word 'FCUK' on a black background painted onto bus exteriors, appeared

on the streets of Singapore.

The media was inundated with complaints; one of which described the ad

as dehumanising to women, while another compared it to filth.

However, the reaction was not all negative. Some described it as

creative, while others said it showed entrepreneurial flair.

The British garments firm later pulled the ad but promised to make

changes in order to placate the more conservative crowd in

Singapore.

Mr Chan stressed the ad was not obscene and that no advertising rules

were breached.

The government does not vet ads in Singapore. Instead, the industry is

subject to self-regulation through the Advertising Standards Authority

of Singapore (ASAS), which the 4As is a part of.

Meanwhile, regional creative directors also said there was nothing wrong

with the FCUK ad.

But they said it is designed to shock and stir controversy wherever it

went.

O&M regional head of creative Barry Owen said, "This campaign is

designed to be banned. It lives to create a storm of controversy. This

is all free publicity and a turn on for exactly the consumers they are

after. The people who react against it just don't get it. That's exactly

what they are supposed to do. As loudly as possible."

D'Arcy regional CD Jimmy Lam said that French Connection positions

itself as a brand for the younger market and that its strategy was

apparently the best.

He posed the question: "It may not be a good way to talk to ageing

consumers, but what about the young consumer who are fed up with boring

ads that pretend to understand them?"

The regional creatives said that the FCUK brand name was alright as long

as it was not used as an expletive.

While TBWA is FCUK's agency in Europe, it said it was not behind the

placement of the ads in Singapore.

It's believed that the brand's local distributor was responsible for the

placement.