‘Get nailed’: Ad watchdog slams poster linking body piercings with crucifixion of Christ
A poster for a body piercing business suggesting customers should ‘Get Nailed’ has been banned by the Advertising Standards Board for linking body piercings to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.
The poster for Punktured, which shows a hand nailed to a cross with the words ‘Get Nailed $5 piercings’, was promoted around the Easter period.
Complaints argued it was not appropriate to link the sales promotion to Christianity, particularly around the Easter period.
“As a Christian I don’t think it is appropriate to be making light of the crucifixion especially this close to Easter,” a complainant wrote.
Another complainant said ending the special offer on Easter Saturday was “offensive and sacrilegious”.
“The advertisement clearly links the promotion of body piercing services to the crucifixion of Christ, even to the extent of a special offer ending Easter Saturday.
“The use of crucifixion imagery in this way, particularly at Easter, is offensive and sacrilegious to Christians.”
Thendro, the parent company of Punktured refuted the complaints, describing them as “frivolous and claiming the ad did not in fact reference Christ’s crucifixion.
“The complainant assumes we are referring to the crucifixion of Christ in our poster. You will note that in depictions of Christ’s crucifixion, his hands appear at the ENDS of the cross.
“In the poster displayed in our stores, the hand appears at a crossing point of two posts and is vertical not angled the way Christ’s hand is depicted in crucifixion images,” Thendro said.
Thendro went on to add Christians “do not have a monopoly on crucifixion” and that a second part of the promotion, the “resurrection sale” showed the hand of a Zombie nailed down.
“The reference to violence I believe to also be irrelevant. The hand is simply nailed to the post. We are not depicting the action of the nailing.
“Our ‘Get Nailed’ marketing campaign was meant to be just that; a campaign targeting our customers and our demographic. We don’t sell buns with crosses on them, nor do we sell chocolate rabbits. We sell body piercing and alternative clothing.”
The ad watchdog considered whether the advertisement discriminated or vilified a person or part of the community on account of areas including race, ethnicity, gender, religion and disability and noted concerns the advertisement had linked the piercing promotion to the crucifixion of Christ.
“In the Board’s view, the use of the image of a hand being nailed to a cross to promote body piercing services trivialises and is mocking of the significance of the crucifixion,” the ad watchdog said.
“The Board considered that the use of the term “get nailed” in large font in the centre of the image is demeaning and further adds to the trivialisation of the important part of the Christian faith.”
Upon review, the Board also noted piercings do not amount to the level of blood depicted in the wounded hand and the image and words in the poster amounted to a “depiction that is not justifiable in the context of the service advertised”.
The Board upheld the complaints and the ad was removed from circulation – but it is still visible on Punktured’s Facebook page.
Ha!
As someone who doesn’t have a religious bone in their body – even I’m offended. Way too far. Not funny. Not clever. Just crass and absurdly hackish.
This brand thrives on pushing any and every boundary. They are appealing to kids who haven’t quite figured out morals and ethics and other dull stuff, but would find it absolutely amusing that people got offended. These kids (esp of they’re marginalised) don’t care what the message or the offence is, they just care that it’s edgy and banned and that old people are getting their knickers in a twist over it.
Getting banned is just an added win for them.
This advert is in the worst of taste and a recent cartoon published that depicts the figures of ‘Scott Morrison’ and a ‘Christ’ figure outside a tomb with an open door and a reference to housing affordability was also in poor taste. Both remind me of a long conversation I has a few years ago with a member of an non-christian faith. He was very puzzled by the fact that we, in his words: ‘ you often pock-fun at aspects of the Catholic Faith, why do you that, when there are so many other subject, it makes people like me think that you have no respect or tolerence and so must diminish the faith of others.’ I do not think this is PC gone mad, I think it’s just common manners.
This ad is an example of bad taste but is by no means the worst offender. What is the offense? Irksome low social conscience, poor aesthetics, maybe even moronic creativity.
Christians are no different to any other religious group, they love to strike out if they feel that someone hasn’t given due deference or disagrees with their beliefs. Here are a few points that make no sense of the claim. The hand is nailed in the centre of the cross, not where the hand of Christ is usually depicted, there were (according to the story) two criminals crucified alongside him, and there must have been thousands crucified by nailing or binding to a cross. “Get Nailed” has other meanings, one overtly sexual, and even if this was aimed at Easter ( which I do not doubt it was) Easter is not mentioned in the bible because it has been borrowed as a Christian reference.
say the same thing about Christianity hijacking the pagan traditions, which we call Easter?
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2010/apr/03/easter-pagan-symbolism
If people are offended, then why are we not offended by gambling ad’s? How many people get hurt by that ad (a nail on a cross), verses the fallout of addiction to gambling? Perspective please sheeples!!
You can’t be serious Richard! No illusion to the Jesus crucifixion? Yes there are other meanings to get nailed, but a hand on a wooden cross just before Easter, with the the special finishing on Easter Saturday and then the second part of promotion a resurrection sale? No the meaning is clear here. You’re either extremely gullible, very slow and can’t see the hand in front of your face, or an apologist for atheism (but not a very good one)