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31st Oct 2019

McDonald’s Portugal apologise for ‘Bloody Sundae’ ice cream ad

Sarah Finnan

McDonald’s Portugal has apologised for using the slogan ‘Sundae Bloody Sundae’ in a Halloween poster advertising ice cream.

The advertisement, which was spotted in Portugal, offered customers a special two-for-one offer on strawberry sundaes.

The promotional poster, which seemed to allude to the lyrics of the U2 song Sunday Bloody Sunday, sparked outrage in Ireland, however, a spokesperson for the Portuguese branch of the fast-food outlet said that it was never intended as “an insensitive reference” to Bloody Sunday or the Troubles in Northern Ireland.

In a statement issued to the Guardian, McDonald’s Portugal said “when promoting its Halloween Sundae ice cream, McDonald’s Portugal developed a local market activation for a small number of its restaurants in Portugal.

“The campaign was intended as a celebration of Halloween, not as an insensitive reference to any historical event or to upset or insult anyone in any way. We sincerely apologise for any offence or distress this may have caused.”

The campaign has been pulled from restaurants and all promotional material has since been removed.

 

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