Lastminute.com gets away with Hun fun

You can call Germans nearly anything now

By James Watson • Get more from this author

Posted in Bootnotes, 31st October 2001 18:10 GMT

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The Advertising Standards Authority is taking a soft line on German-bashing.

Last month the ASA ruled the term 'Kraut' was unlikely to cause offence in advertising, and now it's let Lastminute.com get away with using the word 'Hun'.

Following "a complaint from a member of the public," the ad watchdog had been ready to rap the dotcom over the knuckles for advertising a 'Hun Fun Pun' competition, but then changed its mind.

Lastminute was simply "making fun of some newspaper headlines," it concluded.

Lastminute sent its promotional email to 845,000 people with the competition inviting people to writea tabloid-style headline commemorating the 5-1 win against Germany recently. It received two complaints about the mail, according to The Mirror.

Germans disagreed with the ASA's 'Kraut' ruling. A spokesperson from the German embassy said it was offensive to be called a cabbage. ®

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