It’s World Cup season, which for the rest of the world means a month-long advertising opportunity not unlike that of the Super Bowl for Americans.
Jumping on that bandwagon, Burger King in Russia decided to run a campaign on its social media accounts promising 3 million Russian roubles ($47,000) and a lifetime supply of Whoppers to women if they get impregnated by players competing in the World Cup. The reward was promised to women who got the “best football genes” and who “ensure the success of the Russian team for generations to come,” according to the Associated Press.
Critics quickly came down on the fast-food chain, calling the campaign sexist and demeaning, and the chain removed the announcement from its accounts. Burger King has since apologized for the campaign, telling the AP that it was “very sorry about the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online.”
The offer, the statement continued, “does not reflect our brand or our values and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again.”
Despite the apology, The Guardian pointed out that this is not the first time the Russian division of the chain has run a campaign in poor taste. In an ad run last year, Burger King Russia used the likeness of a girl who had been raped at a house party as part of a buy one get one free burger offer.