3 ways to tastefully swear in your ad

‘Swearing customer was a hit’.

Fkn stoked at this feedback on an eLearning voice over. Plus swearing into a microphone is quite liberating.

But a few things to consider before dropping an F-bomb into your script…

❓ does it align with your brand

❓ does it enhance your script

❓ is it appropriate for your audience

And if the answer is a big effing yes, you need to think about how to get your swear out without breaching any codes of conduct or causing widespread public outrage.

Here are some tried and tested options…

The old switcheroo

Switch out your swear for a similar word. AAMI’s family stranded up ‘ship creek’ TVC is a fab example. While KFC recently used a strategically placed ‘bucket’.

The pause and deflect

It builds to an obvious rhyming swear, there’s a pause and then a completely different word. This one is often used in rhyming radio ads and generally goes like: ‘… and you’re plain outta luck, sometimes you’ve just gotta scream… Fix my car!’

The cover up

Cover all or part of the swear with another sound. The ‘bleep’, ‘buzzer’ or some static are popular options. I used a tidy little ‘bleep’ between the ‘f’ and ‘ing’ sounds for swearing customer. An animal or cartoon sound effect over the swear can also work well.

And if you need a voice over for your next sweary script, I’m your fkn woman…