Twinings has denied involvement in a controversial tweet from discount retailer Poundland in which an elf was pictured ‘teabagging’ a female doll.
The post, which appeared on the retailer’s Twitter account on Thursday (21 December), has sparked backlash from both social media users and Twinings, the tea brand which inadvertently found itself featuring in the ad.
Twinings has accused Poundland of “misusing” its product.
In a statement on Twitter it said: “We are aware of an image that is circulating that misuses our product. We had no involvement in this and it is obviously not reflective of our brand values.”
We are aware of an image that is circulating that misuses our product. This is to confirm that we had no involvement in this and that it is obviously not reflective of our brand values.
— Twinings Tea (@TwiningsTeaUK) December 21, 2017
Shortly after Twinings’ tweet was posted, Poundland responded by reposting the image without the tea brand, alongside a tweet which read: “Spot the difference..”
Spot the difference… pic.twitter.com/hWV83m4EYE
— Poundland (@Poundland) December 21, 2017
It poked further fun at the controversey generated by the initial image with a tweet this morning (22 December) in which the elf is seen scrolling through the brand’s Twitter account and holding a mug with the caption “What a storm in a teacup”.
What a storm in a teacup. See you again at Tw-elf o’clock. pic.twitter.com/HkpJKAnxFT
— Poundland (@Poundland) December 22, 2017
The tweet is the latest rendition of Poundland’s long-running #ElfBehavingBadly campaign that has been running throughout December.
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has received a number of complaints about the posts which depict the elf in a series of sexually explicit positions.
Some users enquired if the account had been hacked.
Mark Pym, the brand’s marketing director, said he was proud of the campaign which cost a reported £25.53 to deliver, according to the International Business Times.
Hi Mark. The Poundland account has not been hacked. I am sorry that you feel this way and will share your feedback. Thanks, Zoe
— Poundland (@Poundland) December 21, 2017
There was also some marketing flattery chucked into the mix.
— Poundland (@Poundland) December 21, 2017
Further to this, there was a debate as to whether journalists should be pursuing this story. The jury is out on that one.
You’re aware that The Drum is a marketing news website and so reporting on a badly misjudged misogynistic marketing campaign is the sort of thing it does, right?
— Simon HB (@norock) December 21, 2017
This story was updated on 22 December