Brighton pub sorry over Frape poster

1:10pm Friday 14th December 2012 in News By Peter Truman

The Festive Frape poster that caused the row The Festive Frape poster that caused the row

A pub has apologised after a “misguided” advertising campaign that seemed to condone rape.

The Hobgoblin pub in London Road had put up posters in the pub and online advertising its “Festive Frape” promotion.

Customers were invited to use the pub’s name in the status section of their Facebook pages and encourage friends to “like” the comment in exchange for a free shot.

The promotion was based on the colloquial phrase Frape, which means to post on someone’s Facebook wall without their permission.

But several people contacted the pub complaining the poster, which could be easily misread as festive rape, was offensive and normalised the term rape.

Others took to Facebook and Twitter to condemn it.

Nicole Healing was one of the first to spot the poster and complain to the pub.

'Affront to victims'

She said: “I remain astonished that any person would deem this suitable for marketing purposes and seemingly not realise the offence it could cause.

“This is not simply tongue-in-cheek frivolity, but an affront to all victims of sexual abuse and sexual crime.”

Some people contacted the charity Survivors’ Network, which supports female survivors of sexual violence and abuse.

A spokeswoman said: “The majority of people who saw the poster and Facebook page would know someone who has been raped at some point in their life and would find the use of the terms unacceptable, offensive and distasteful.

“We are encouraged by the public outrage about this campaign and the pub’s swift response to apologise and to remove all connected publicity material. Our message for the festive season is simple, rape is wrong – don’t joke about it, don’t condone it, don’t do it.”

'Deep regret'

John Purchese, the manager at the pub, admitted the campaign was “misguided” and made clear there was never any intention to legitimise rape.

The pub released a statement which said: “We deeply regret any offence our recent advertising may have caused and would like to apologise to anyone who may have misinterpreted the advert in question.

"We will no longer be using this advert and understand that a minority of people found it to be offensive. It was never our intention to cause such offence and our unreserved apology is sincere.

"On reflection it was naive to use an urban phrase that could be misinterpreted in this way.”

The pub has pledged to donate £250 to a local rape victim's charity.

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Comments(33)

PorkBoat says...
1:29pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Did Nathan Barley design the poster?

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aat99 says...
1:54pm Fri 14 Dec 12

engage brain ......

doesn't anybody sense check this with colleagues, etc ....

what idiots ...

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scrackett says...
1:56pm Fri 14 Dec 12

"Misinterpreted the advert"? "A minority"? That is the most offensive non-apology I've even seen. Obviously a pub to be avoided - I would hope that most pubs in Brighton don't think that rape is a joke to be used lightly and to promote your business.

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hoveonian says...
2:26pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Huge over reaction, im sure 99% of people under the age of 40 would find absolutely nothing wrong with the word 'frape' and know exactly what it means. And by using the facebook logo and no sexual imagery on the poster , i fail to see how anyone found it to be remotely offensive.

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Howard Roark says...
2:28pm Fri 14 Dec 12

"minority of people found it to be offensive" ? No, the majority of people found it offensive only a minority actually complained. You need to sort out your communications, the poster should never have been created and your apology demonstrates you still don't get it.

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Cave Johnson says...
2:30pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Frape. Facebook + Rape. How on Earth is this not offensive? Trivialising this horrible crime to compare it to someone posting something on your facebook profile. It is highly offensive to anyone with half a brain.

And they were not quick to apoligise by any means! They were quite dismissive at first.

Rape is never funny!

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Cave Johnson says...
2:36pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Frape. Facebook + Rape. How on Earth is this not offensive? Trivialising this horrible crime to compare it to someone posting something on your facebook profile. It is highly offensive to anyone with half a brain.

And they were not quick to apoligise by any means! They were quite dismissive at first.

Rape is never funny!”

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hoveonian says...
2:41pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Rape :an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: Rape is not necessarily a sexual word

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Cave Johnson says...
2:47pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Rape isn't about sex, it's about violence and fear. How can that be compared to someone posting on your facebook? Do you not see how incredibly offensive and patronising that is? Are you utterly insensitive? Most rapes go unreported due to victims fearing they won't be believed. So making light of it isn't going to help is it?

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hoveonian says...
3:01pm Fri 14 Dec 12

I give up, how on earth is this news.

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tooned_in says...
3:15pm Fri 14 Dec 12

jeeeeez how petty how is this encouraging rape? some folk will complain about anything just to complain as if anyone would support or encourage rape!!!!

I agree with Hoveovian doesnt constitute news to me.

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Cave Johnson says...
3:26pm Fri 14 Dec 12

tooned_in wrote:
jeeeeez how petty how is this encouraging rape? some folk will complain about anything just to complain as if anyone would support or encourage rape!!!! I agree with Hoveovian doesnt constitute news to me.
Noone has said it encourages it, they said it trivialises it.

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Algeria Touchshriek says...
3:26pm Fri 14 Dec 12

How can anybody really believe there is a festival about rape??

Complain about something better than that.

Good Lord, whatever next.

Was King Cnut a dyslexic?

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tooned_in says...
3:39pm Fri 14 Dec 12

sincere apologies Cavey I did speed read the article that was my first mistake but my point stands. petty!

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Dealing with idiots says...
4:02pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Would councillor Ben 'only when I smoke weed' Duncan like to comment?

http://www.theargus.
co.uk/news/9680474.B
righton_councillor_a
pologises_for_rape_t
weet/

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canardminceblanc says...
5:13pm Fri 14 Dec 12

I like the arrogance of Mr Outrage above, who somehow knows that "a majority of people were offended". Know every person who saw the poster do you? No, you don't. I think the Hobgoblin pitched their apology right; they didn't invent the term "frape", it's common currency with students and they're just trying to reach that market. I can't wait for their next poster campaign where they ask if you could "murder" a drink, and all the whining ninnies complain that they know the family of someone who was murdered. Grow up.

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All 9 of me says...
5:22pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Brighton welcomes angry feminists.

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Rita Snatch says...
6:14pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Some people need to get a life and switch their 'reality' switch on!

Frape is so common on Facebook - almost every user knows its connotations...

There is nothing wrong with that poster - apart from a few dumbos who read it!!!

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
9:45pm Fri 14 Dec 12

Rita Snatch wrote:
Some people need to get a life and switch their 'reality' switch on!

Frape is so common on Facebook - almost every user knows its connotations...

There is nothing wrong with that poster - apart from a few dumbos who read it!!!
Easy for you to say

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funkyyoyo says...
11:06pm Fri 14 Dec 12

i thought frappe was a coffee!!!! have i missed something here as im from the count ry side !!!!!!!

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whereisthe...? says...
7:53am Sat 15 Dec 12

Female thought police obviously on patrol here - dont you DARE even PRINT a word that sort of even LOOKS like it MIGHT be a word that WE HAVE DECIDED MEN CAN NO LONGER USE - unless your a female comedian, for instance.


PATHETIC.

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whereisthe...? says...
7:55am Sat 15 Dec 12

Oh and FRAPPE also sounds a bit like RAPE - WE'LL BE BANNING THAT WORD NEXT.....

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voiceofthescoombe says...
8:38am Sat 15 Dec 12

Nathan barley moment exactly its going to be well beruit plank

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Nathan L says...
9:20am Sat 15 Dec 12

All 9 of me wrote:
Brighton welcomes angry feminists.
thank you for this, was going to comment but nothing could be better put.

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
9:22am Sat 15 Dec 12

Hoveorian the dictionary definition is not the same as the legal definition which defines the penetration of the vagina or anus by a penis or other object against someone's will. The legal wording is more eloquent. It used to be the penetration of a vagina with a penis but rapist got clever to this and would attack women using implements as it would be a lesser charge of sexual assault so the law was changed to give a wider definition.
Go to court and see the devastating effect on people, including children, who have been raped.
It's a silly campaign and could have been avoided with little thought and creativity. Lazy really and the creator didn't think that many of the audience may have been raped. Just naive and lazy.

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toldsloth says...
10:15am Sat 15 Dec 12

The pub is a S&&thole anyway so I'm not suprised.

Inadequate and misguided non-apology from the management.

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bluemonday says...
5:38pm Sat 15 Dec 12

theres a film out at the moment called "pitch perfect" the tag line on the poster is "get pitch slapped",obviously a take on the action to **** slap somebody,would you like that banned aswell.

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legallypink says...
6:38pm Sat 15 Dec 12

Hello, they clearly was just using a popular cultural term as part of their campaign. Genuine mistake...is there no grace for people who make mistakes? Johns done wonders with the pub and he is a nice guy, he never would have done this intentionally. I am not sure I like term "Frape", but pubs appealing to the culture is just good business sense. Just a really unfortunate whoops.

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mediasuicide says...
11:41am Sun 16 Dec 12

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned the subtlety of the poster design yet: on first encounter I read it as 'festive rape'. I did a double-take before realising that the giant 'F' was supposed to prefix BOTH 'estive' and 'rape'.
Bearing in mind, if you're not familiar with the term 'frape' you might not make the above connection; off the back of which it's no wonder that some I'd the local population found the poster offensive!
Question: had the poster more clearly read 'festive frape', would people still have been offended by it?

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sussexram40 says...
7:01pm Sun 16 Dec 12

Some people go round looking for things to complain about.
Poster could have been set out better but that's abut it. Storm in a tea cup.

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Jimmy Stewart's Imaginary Rabbit says...
6:32am Mon 17 Dec 12

What's a Facebook?

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sussexguy says...
7:55am Mon 17 Dec 12

sussexram40 wrote:
Some people go round looking for things to complain about.
Poster could have been set out better but that's abut it. Storm in a tea cup.
Absolutely right. We are constantly being told that this offends and that offends. In the end, no one will be able to say anything at all about anything, for fear of someone else being offended. Surely there are far more important issues to worry about than the printing of a rather silly poster. And will its banning really put a stop to rape? I don't thinks so somehow.

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james4618 says...
1:49pm Mon 17 Dec 12

hoveonian wrote:
Huge over reaction, im sure 99% of people under the age of 40 would find absolutely nothing wrong with the word 'frape' and know exactly what it means. And by using the facebook logo and no sexual imagery on the poster , i fail to see how anyone found it to be remotely offensive.
Then I am sure that there is probably quite a lot in the world that you also "fail to see"

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