McDonald's pulls 'disgusting' dead father advert

A TV commercial for fast food giant McDonald's which used the story of a son's relationship with his deceased father to promote its Filet-o-Fish has been pulled.

The advert, which aired in the UK this week, shows a young boy asking his mother about his dead father, and asking whether they had any shared interests or characteristics.

He's left disappointed when he discovers they don't - but at the end of the commercial, his mother says he does have one thing in common with him: they both order the Filet-o-Fish at McDonald's, and always get tartare sauce on their chin while eating it.

McDonald's say it wasn't their intention to cause any offence - but after initially refusing to pull the advert, the company performed a U-turn hours later and said it would no longer be aired.

"We can confirm today that we have taken the decision to withdraw our 'Dad' TV advert. The advert will be removed from all media, including TV and cinema, completely and permanently this week," a spokesperson said.

"It was never our intention to cause any upset. We are particularly sorry that the advert may have disappointed those people who are most important to us - our customers.

"Due to the lead-times required by some broadcasters, the last advert will air tomorrow, Wednesday 17 May. We will also review our creative process to ensure this situation never occurs again."

The advert drew plenty of criticism, particularly from those who had grown up in families who had lost a parent during their childhood - some going as far to call it "cynical exploitation", "offensive" and "disgusting".

It has also drawn comparisons with a recent Pepsi ad starring celebrity Kendall Jenner, which was slammed for trivialising important social issues.

Newshub.