# Barnardo's airs controversial ad in cinemas

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/08/02/barnardo039s-airs-controversial-ad-cinemas/
- Published: 2007-08-02T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Barnardo’s is expanding its use of the controversial ‘F\*\*k off story’ ad by 
showing it in cinemas from this Friday (3 August).**

The ad is part of the wider ‘[Believe in children](https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/08/01/barnardo039s-use-cinema-advertising-first-time/)‘
campaign and features a young boy and a social worker. The boy tells the social 
worker that he told his parents, foster parents and social workers to f**k off, 
as well as Barnardo’s, but the ad makes the point that Barnardo’s didn’t desert 
him.

The ad will be shown throughout August in Carlton Screen Advertising’s network as
a ‘bleeped-out’ version before films with a 15 certificate, and uncensored for those
rated 18.

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The ad has already been used online, although viewers were asked to opt-in before
watching it because of the swearing. The charity will also use a poster campaign
featuring separate stills from the ad.

The Advertising Standards Authority is currently investigating the campaign after
receiving two complaints about a print ad.

Barnardo’s is no stranger to controversy after having a complaint upheld by the 
ASA in 2003 over an ad that showed a cockroach crawling out of a baby’s mouth and
another depicting a baby with a syringe in its mouth.