The ad for the Golden Wonder snack, part of a new £2m campaign, mimics the famous scene in Ridley Scott's sci-fi horror movie, in which actor John Hurt's stomach bursts open in a shower of blood and guts after he has been impregnated by the alien.
In the Nik Naks spot, the action opens on a ferry, where a group of people are sitting around a table. A young man tells his friends that first thing he is going to do when he gets home is eat some decent food.
At that moment, a girl comes over with a packet of Nik Naks. After he has eaten one, he starts to convulse and shake. His friends think it is a joke until he collapses on the table and a giant Nik Nak bursts out of his chest in a cloud of orange powder to the chorus of 'Le Freak' by Chic.
The voiceover says: "They're monstrous, deformed and available in four stupid flavours." The strapline reads: "Eat the freak."
Of the 46 complaints, 36 said the ad was likely to offend against public feeling and nine believed it was unsuitable for children, although only three had been upset by it. A further three were concerned about the reference to deformity.
The advertising watchdog ruled that although the commercial produced initial tension, the scene quickly turned to party atmosphere and the voiceover appeared to reflect how ridiculous the previous event had been.
Ofcom ruled in favour of Nik Naks because the ad was broadcast after 7.30pm and at that time it was not likely to upset younger viewers or cause widespread offence.
As the closing voiceover was relevant and specific to what had preceded it, Ofcom did not believe that it was unlikely to upset or harm disabled viewers or those with a deformity.
The ad was created by J Walter Thompson and directed by MJZ's Rocky Morton. It is the agency's first work for the brand since it won the £25m Golden Wonder account at the end of 2003.
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