A hardware store in Enniscorthy has had a complaint against it upheld by the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) as its advert “raised concerns of racism”.
In total, 13 of 16 advertisements subject to complaints were found to have been in breach of the ASAI code.
The ‘Black Friday’ ad for Smyths Homevalue in Enniscorthy featured a man dressed in black, with his face and hands painted in black, explaining what products were offered on sale.
The complainant thought that Smyth’s had run a racist ad and were selling goods using racism.
In response to the complaint, the business owner said they had run the ad in conjunction with the worldwide Black Friday event. They claimed they took inspiration from the All Blacks rugby team.
When it came to their attention that some people found the ad offensive, they removed it immediately and posted on social media that it was not intended to cause offence.
