"I'm sure this humour appeals to the young adults it is trying to lure into its restaurant, but to force the name upon people in large type in public is not acceptable," the complainant told the authority. In its written decision the Complaints Board said while it did not have the jurisdiction to require a company to change the name of its product or brand, there could be circumstances when the name of a product created an issue when used in advertising.
The board said the word 'Greedy Bastard' had been used by the advertiser in a 'light-hearted manner' to describe the double portions of cheese and beef used in the burger, rather than in an aggressive tone and was unlikely to cause serious offence. However, the word was problematic when it appeared on a billboard, the board said. It said the billboard's location meant the advertisement was highly visible to the general public - including children, and such indiscriminate exposure to the word 'Bastard' was not socially responsible. The board upheld the complaint in part with regard to the use of the advertisement on a billboard.
Burger Fuel's marketing manager Alexis Lam said the 'Greedy Bastard' was a limited edition version of the 'Bastard' burger, which has been on the menu since 1995. "Due to this item being on the menu for a short period of time, by the time the complaint decision had been made, the billboard had been taken down so no further action was required by us. "We feel that since Sir Edmond Hillary 'knocked the bastard off', that this phrase has become a normal term in New Zealand society, and that the lack of complaints we've had over the twenty years that this burger has been on our menu is a testament to this. We have a lot of respect for the Advertising Standards Authority and their decision making process and may look to explore this particular decision further with them."
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