Burger King apologises for 'sexist and demeaning' World Cup pregnancy ad
Burger King has apologised for offering a lifetime supply of burgers to Russian women who are impregnated by World Cup players.
The burger chain’s Russian branch offered the women a lifetime supply of Whoppers and 3 million roubles ($64,000).
It promised the reward of free burgers to women who get “the best football genes” and “ensure the success of the Russian team for generations to come”.
“Burger King, within the framework of social responsibility, has appointed a reward for girls who get pregnant from the stars of world football,” the original ad stated before it was quickly removed from all social media channels.
Critics slammed the offer, announced on Russian social media, as sexist and demeaning.
The announcement was removed on Tuesday from Burger King’s social media accounts but was still circulating among Russian social network users.
In a statement Wednesday to The Associated Press, Burger King said: “We are sorry about the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online.”
The fast food chain said the offer “does not reflect our brand or our values and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again”.
Ads in Russia often play on sexist stereotypes, notably ads around sporting events like the World Cup.
Women’s rights activists have been increasingly speaking out against them.
