Queensland brewer Castlemaine Perkins has been forced to defend its latest TV ad for XXXX beer after complaints were made about the commercial containing a song about a school shooting.
The ad, for XXXX beer’s low carbohydrate Summer Bright Lager , features the song 'Pumped up Kicks' by American Indie pop band Foster the People.
Despite the upbeat tune the song's lyrics have a darker side, describing a youth fantasising about going on a school killing spree.
The XXXX ad cuts the lyrics short before the song’s chorus kicks in with the graphic line: "All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run - out run my gun. All the other kids with the pumped up kicks, better run, better run - faster than my bullet", but the commercial’s controversial soundtrack has still attracted criticism online.
"Have they lost their f------ minds? A song about a teenage school killer being used in a beer ad," DaveScott69 wrote, commenting on a YouTube posting of the ad.
"Did the people who made this ad even listen to the song they chose? Good ad, poor choice in song", another angry viewer wrote.
The brewer responded to the criticism with its own post, defending its choice of song, saying the lyrics have "no association" with the ad.
"The tune was chosen for its popularity with our consumers and its catchy beat rather than its lyrics. We are comfortable that the part of the tune we have chosen within the ad doesn't include anything controversial. It certainly wasn’t our intention to offend anyone," the response read.
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