Activists too touchy over word 'batty'
Sometimes companies need to be reminded to be a little more thoughtful when working on their ad campaigns. Other times activists need to relax a little and stop taking everything as a personal slight. A recent British bmi ad is an example of the latter.
The British airline is being forced to defend the use of the word “batty” in a new radio ad. The term refers to the company's prices.
In the ad, a spokesman says: “Barmy prices in the bmi sale! Heathrow to Nice from a batty £48 one-way, Moscow from a bonkers £199 return and Marrakech from a zany £135 return, plus lots of other vaguely loopy deals!”
However, some listeners to the station have started to complain, calling use of the term batty a "disgrace."
“I’m furious at bmi’s reference to their new prices being ‘batty’ on their radio adverts, which have started this week," said listener Richard Smith. "I think it’s a disgrace they would use this word."
It would seem he took the meaning of the word from the Jamaican slang for "faggot."
A bmi spokesperson disagreed, and explained that "the concept of the advert was built upon the idea that bmi have got ‘crazy’ prices in the sale. We have used several different words to articulate this – Barmy / Zany / Bonkers etc and the word ‘Batty’ was included and used as per the definition given in the Collins World English dictionary.”
It's called "context," Mr. Smith. Yeesh.
BMI ‘batty’ ad defended [PinkNews]
Comments:
Duplication of this site in part or in whole is strictly prohibited.
About Us
xxx