McDonald's ad about a boy, his dead father and Filet-O-Fish called out for being insensitive

Maybe aim for something a little lighter next time.
 By 
Sasha Lekach
 on 
Original image replaced with Mashable logo
Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

McDonald's UK is backtracking on what was supposed to be a heartwarming ad about a young boy asking his mother about his dead father and finding out that they both liked the same sandwich: Filet-O-Fish.

The ad, which launched Friday in the UK, was supposed to run for seven weeks, according to a marketing news site, but feedback from child bereavement groups in the UK may have changed that.

Groups spoke out about the ad confusing children who were dealing with loss and trivializing the grieving process -- all for the sake of a product. 

The BBC reported the TV spot made by Leo Burnett London prompted McDonald's UK to apologize. Many found it offensive, to which the hamburger chain said in an email statement, "We apologise for any upset this advert has caused. This was by no means an intention of ours."

The commercial, which was originally scheduled to run throughout the UK, was supposed to "highlight the role McDonald’s has played in our customers’ everyday lives – both in good and difficult times," the company said in the statement.

Even the UK's Advertising Standards Authority is looking into whether the sentimental ad went too far, the BBC reported.

UPDATE May 16, 2017, 12:19 p.m. PT: McDonald's UK released a statement that the company is pulling its "Dad" advertisement from all media. A spokesperson said, "We will also review our creative process to ensure this situation never occurs again.” The final advertisement is expected to air Wednesday before it's permanently removed.

Topics Advertising

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Sasha Lekach

Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.

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