"Fear F*kol" billboard to be removed or changed, says ad regulator
The Advertising Regulatory Board said a billboard with the words 'Fear F*kol' must be taken down or amended.
The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) found that a billboard advertising an armoured vehicle manufacturing company, depicting the words "Fear F*kol", must be taken down or changed.
The ARB ruled that the billboard violated the advertising code after complainants by Michelle Stoltz and Jolande de Beer claimed that the word "F*KOL" is considered crude and offensive.
The "offensive" Armoured Mobility billboard was placed on the busy N3 Highway at the Van Buuren off-ramp.
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According to its report, the ARB based its decision to change or remove the billboard on Clause 14 of Section II, which requires advertisers to be mindful that their advertising might be visible to children.
"It stipulates that advertising should not expose children to anything that might harm them physically, morally, or emotionally and that advertising should not create an impression that being in certain surroundings or behaving in a certain manner would be acceptable when it is not," said the ARB report.
Stoltz and De Beer based their initial complaint on the fact that the billboard was visible to children.
Armoured Mobility, the company which sells and rents out armoured vehicles in South Africa, and the advertiser, iCar Technologies, said the advertisement was not meant to offend anyone.
Their aim was to create a unique and attention-grabbing ad.
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"'F*kol' in Afrikaans essentially implies a sense of nothing, of having nothing or being nothing. While the word 'Niks' is the direct translation to “nothing” in Afrikaans, 'F*kol' is a commonly used Afrikaans slang word,” the company wrote in a press statement.
"This is our angle, our direction in taking a strong colloquial word and linking it to a bold message statement that speaks volumes.
"It is to show you, in a dramatic way, that you have the option to obtain a level of peace of mind while on the road when in a protected vehicle.
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"We want you to Fear 'F*kol' in an Armoured Mobility protected vehicle. That is what drives us.
"If we have offended you along the way, we apologise, but we will not apologise for identifying a unique way to get the message across that there is more protection available to you and your family, while driving on South African roads."
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Image Credit: ARB Report/ Screenshot