FCUK S'pore furore 'storm in a teacup'

<p>The recent furore surrounding the advertising that promoted the </p><p>FCUK brand in Singapore has been described by the island republic's 4As </p><p>president as nothing more than "a storm in a teacup". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Bernard Chan said the complaints were not representative of Singapore as </p><p>a whole and that they only came from "some quarters". </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, he said that if people could not accept the French Connection, </p><p>United Kingdom clothing trademark, then that would be a black day for </p><p>the Lion City. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"Some people are making the issue bigger than it deserves to be, but at </p><p>the end of the day we need more creativity and that means greater </p><p>liberalisation, and from the advertising practitioners' point of view we </p><p>either adopt a more liberal stance or we don't," Mr Chan told MEDIA. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Controversy erupted after the advertising, which consisted simply of the </p><p>word 'FCUK' on a black background painted onto bus exteriors, appeared </p><p>on the streets of Singapore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The media was inundated with complaints; one of which described the ad </p><p>as dehumanising to women, while another compared it to filth. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>However, the reaction was not all negative. Some described it as </p><p>creative, while others said it showed entrepreneurial flair. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The British garments firm later pulled the ad but promised to make </p><p>changes in order to placate the more conservative crowd in </p><p>Singapore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Mr Chan stressed the ad was not obscene and that no advertising rules </p><p>were breached. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The government does not vet ads in Singapore. Instead, the industry is </p><p>subject to self-regulation through the Advertising Standards Authority </p><p>of Singapore (ASAS), which the 4As is a part of. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Meanwhile, regional creative directors also said there was nothing wrong </p><p>with the FCUK ad. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But they said it is designed to shock and stir controversy wherever it </p><p>went. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>O&M regional head of creative Barry Owen said, "This campaign is </p><p>designed to be banned. It lives to create a storm of controversy. This </p><p>is all free publicity and a turn on for exactly the consumers they are </p><p>after. The people who react against it just don't get it. That's exactly </p><p>what they are supposed to do. As loudly as possible." </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>D'Arcy regional CD Jimmy Lam said that French Connection positions </p><p>itself as a brand for the younger market and that its strategy was </p><p>apparently the best. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>He posed the question: "It may not be a good way to talk to ageing </p><p>consumers, but what about the young consumer who are fed up with boring </p><p>ads that pretend to understand them?" </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The regional creatives said that the FCUK brand name was alright as long </p><p>as it was not used as an expletive. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>While TBWA is FCUK's agency in Europe, it said it was not behind the </p><p>placement of the ads in Singapore. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>It's believed that the brand's local distributor was responsible for the </p><p>placement. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>