Is it ever OK to use profanity in advertising? 4 industry execs reveal their candid thoughts

The average Australian swears about 7 times per day, but do consumers really want this language reflected in their advertising? I pose the question to four esteemed executives in ad land, who all had equally strong thoughts on the matter.

Strong language seems to very commonly draw strong reactions – and many marketers are in one of two camps when it comes to their attitude towards incorporating expletives into ad speak.

Several brands have benefitted enormously from their cheeky usage of profane, ‘inappropriate’ words, such as cosmetics brand Too Faced, whose ‘Better Than Sex’ mascara (which has a different name in Saudi Arabia – ‘Better than Love’) became the single best-selling mascara product across the globe, and on Australian shores.