Suzuki rapped after swearing is included in ad

LONDON - Suzuki has been rapped by the advertising watchdog for adding in a four-letter swear word to a television ad after it had been cleared for broadcast, despite a claim by the ad agency that the extra audio simply sounds like a rude word.

The TV ad for the Suzuki Vitara, created by Nexus/H, showed different people driving Vitaras with a rock version of the song 'What a Wonderful World' playing in the background and the drivers singing along.

Two viewers complained that they could hear a man's voice at the end of the ad saying "I fucking love you".

The Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre said the version of the ad it cleared did not have any words at the end, only laughter.

The BACC then liaised with Nexus/H, which confirmed it had amended the audio and submitted it to TV stations with the original clearance number, but that the change had been very slight and at no point did it include the world "fucking".

However, when listening to the ad the word can be clearly heard at the end of the spot.

The agency claimed that the sound that viewers had interpreted as swearing was actually laughter.

The BACC confirmed that it had asked broadcasters to remove the ad as soon as the advertising watchdog advised them of the complaints.

The Advertising Standards Authority said: "Despite assertions that the word 'fucking' was not used, we considered the audio sounded like 'I fucking love you' and had seriously offended a small number of viewers."

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