South Africa’s ad regulator ruled that an advertisement by Courier Guy that features a woman that uses the word “jir”, has nothing to do with religion after a complaint was filed that interpreted the phrase as using God’s name in vain.
In their ruling, the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) said that the word used in the advert was not an Afrikaans word that can refer to Jesus, “Jirre”, but “jir”, which is similar to other common expressions such as “Jislaaik”, a word commonly used to convey annoyance, irritation or exasperation.
The commercial has no religious messaging and has expressed no views on religion, the dispute centers around the word “jirre” as the complainant heard it or “jir” as Courier Guy claims to have phrased it, the ARB said.
In the radio advert for Courier Guy’s Pudo lockers, a woman can be heard saying “Immediate effect hey? Huh! Ja-né. So I’ve got my mom’s birthday present here in Kloofendal, she’s mos innie Kaap! Now I must queue at the counter, to send it to her door, jirrr, queues are so 2019. No man!,”
In the view of the regulator the woman speaks in a recognizable Cape Town dialect and tone while using the phrase “jir”, only doing so to indicate her dissatisfaction with queuing for parcels when Pudo provides a contactless and convenient alternative.
Sources: Business Insider
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