The Advertising Standards Authority received complaints about an advertisement that appeared in the Evening Standard headlined "Sorry". The ad explained that the clothing brand's new fcukinkybugger TV ad was deemed unsuitable for national viewing by "the powers that be" and had been withdrawn.
The ad directed consumers to its website, signing off with the text, "See you in cyberspace @ fcukinkybugger.com".
Despite appeals from the advertiser that its research showed that 70% of the population would not find the words "bugger" or "kinky" offensive and that "kinky" does not necessarily have to be linked to sex, the ASA upheld complaints from readers.
The watchdog agreed that the words "kinky" and "bugger" used in isolation might not cause offence.
The regulator ruled that in the format they appear in the website address, the words could be read as "fuck kinky bugger.com" or "fucking kinky bugger.com" and could cause widespread offence.
French Connection has been told not to repeat the website address in broad-based media, and future ads must be vetted by the watchdog before they can appear in public.