Durban – The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has ruled that the advert for a bangle that Takealot had been selling was offensive.
Consumer Kevin Harris took his complaint to the directorate of the board, saying the Rose Gold Inspirational Quote Female Bangle that was being sold for R400 was offensive.
In his complaint Harris said: “That the words “best f***** b******” on the merchandise is derogatory against women.
“The website is not age restricted, which means children can also view this offensive advert”.
According to the ARB, Takealot opted not to respond although it was given an opportunity to do so.
The directorate said that during the course of its investigation, it appeared that the advertisement has been removed from the Takealot website.
“This is possibly in response to the complaint, and in circumstances where the advertiser advises the ARB that it has withdrawn the advertisement and will not be using it again, the ARB can close the file without the need to make a decision,” the directorate ruled.
“However, as the advertiser has not responded to the ARB, it cannot be assumed that the advertisement has been permanently removed, and the directorate must therefore make a decision on the merits.”
In its ruling, the directorate said that the actual sale of the bracelets were not the issue. It found that it was the use of the visuals that clearly showed the legible expletives.
“Generally speaking, tolerance for swearing is a personal measure, with many people finding any instance of swearing to be unacceptable and offensive,” it said in the ruling.
“However, there are a number of words that are considered unacceptable in advertising globally, and “f*****” is certainly one of them. Combined into the phrase ‘f*** b****’ exacerbates the problem.”
They also found that Takealot is one of South Africa’s leading online shopping portals and that there was a good chance that people from all walks of life, different backgrounds and all ages could search for an item like jewellery, bracelet, or bangle and “unintentionally be presented with this bangle”.
“The directorate concludes that the promotion of this product is likely to cause offence.”
According to the ruling there was no further action to be taken as Takealot had removed the advert.
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