A “tasteless” McDonald’s advertisement for the chain’s McCrispy burger that was installed opposite a crematorium in Cornwall has been replaced with a signs locals say is “just as bad”.
The burger ad on the A30 by Penmount Crematorium in Truro was criticised by some online after a local paper turned attention to it.
One woman, whose mother-in-law was cremated at the establishment last year, told CornwallLive: “Although I can see the funny side, it is tasteless and I’m sure some grieving family members won’t like to see it when visiting Penmount for the funeral and cremation of a loved one.”
Others found it hilarious due to the dark association between the sandwich’s name and the sombre burning of coffins just across the road.
One online commenter said: “No worse than our local council entertaining the idea of allowing a crematorium to be built next door to a retirement village.”
McDonald’s removed the ad on Sunday after putting out a statement which said: “We were unaware of the road sign in the vicinity of this bus stop. However, in light of the concerns raised by CornwallLive, we have asked for our advertisement to be removed.”
Some locals hoped it would be replaced with a more innocuous poster.
They were left disappointed as the replacement advertised a £5 “locals’ pass” which again drew a line of black humour between the bus stop and the crematorium. The poster advertises an annual pass for local art gallery Tate St Ives.
Locals shared their views on the new ad with the local paper. One amused passerby said “you couldn’t make this up”. Another said: “I don’t know what’s worse, this one of the first one”.
Others pointed out that someone “clearly has a sense of humour” while another said it’s “not much better” than the McDonald’s ad.
Companies do not put up their own posters, so it is unlikely they are fully aware of where these sorts of ads are going to appear. The Independent has approached Tate St Ives for comment. Cornwall Council said it could not comment on the ads.
Unfortunate advertising placements have become something of a comedy genre online, with countless listicles dedicated to photographs of billboards with fast food adverts next to health PSAs – though they tend to be ruder.
