MOSCOW — Burger King has apologized for an extraordinarily insensitive advertisement that promised Russian women a lifetime supply of free meals and a cash “prize” if they were to become pregnant with a child fathered by a World Cup soccer player. The chain launched the campaign on Russian social media outlet VK, promising a payment of $47,000 plus a lifetime supply of Whoppers. The offer was extended to “girls who manage to get the best football genes” and “lay down the success of the Russian national football team”, the indication being that the offspring produced by such liaisons would grow up to be soccer stars. “It is a reward for the girls who would get pregnant from the international football superstars,” the message continued. Burger King pulled the campaign off social media on Tuesday and admitted it was “too offensive.” In a statement released to USA TODAY Sports on Thursday, Burger King's media relations department at its U.S. headquarters apologized for "the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online. "As soon as it was brought to our attention, we had it removed. It certainly does not reflect our brand or our values and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again." More:Female reporter at World Cup sexually assaulted during live broadcast More:World Cup power rankings: Updates after every match The advertising move was the latest in a number of commercials in Russia leading up to and during the World Cup that were themed around the plight of the host country’s national team. Russia came into the event ranked 70th in the world, the highest in the field and was considered unlikely to make any significant progress in the tournament. However, it has handily won its first two games to guarantee a spot in the knockout stage, riding the wave of patriotic support. Russian political leaders criticized the Burger King campaign as crass and inappropriate. “It is a very stupid campaign … from the hellish people of the fast-food chain,” Russian State Duma leader Vitaly Milonov told reporters. “(They are) trying to attract attention, not by improving the quality, but through silly offers.” Ksenia Fadeeva, 19, a student from Moscow, said that Russian women are accustomed to such sexist advertisements. "It is normal for us," she told USA TODAY Sports. "It is pathetic, but companies know they can appeal to the basic instincts of Russian men in this way. My male friends thought it was funny. We get used to this."<doc-sep>NEW A vastly improved search engine helps you find the latest on companies, business leaders, and news more easily.<doc-sep>Burger King has apologized for a poor-taste ad campaign posted on its official Russian social media account. On Tuesday the burger chain announced a promotion on VK, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, offering women 3 million Russian roubles ($47,000) and a lifetime supply of Whoppers if they get impregnated by football players competing in the World Cup. Shortly after announcing the campaign they pulled it due to backlash. Burger King posted a statement on VK apologizing and said it had removed all materials related to the promotion. However, evidence of the stunt lives on in screenshots. Screenshot captured by Deadspin Photograph: VK Burger King’s Russia division has a history of horrific publicity-baiting stunts. Last year it made fun of a teenage rape victim in an online marketing campaign. The fast-food company used the likeness of Diana Shurygina, who was raped when she was 16 at a house party, as part of a buy one get one free burger offer. And it’s not just Russia; Burger King has a global track record of misogynistic marketing. In Singapore the company advertised a seven-inch burger with overtly sexual imagery and a tagline saying “It’ll blow your mind away.” The model featured in the 2009 advertising campaign later came forward to say she had no idea her image was going to be used in that way.<doc-sep>
(CNN) Fast food company Burger King Russia has been forced to apologize after an advertisement offered Russian women the chance to win $47,000 and free Whoppers for life if they got impregnated by a World Cup player. The short-lived campaign was promoted in Russia on Tuesday via social media platform VK -- Russia's equivalent of Facebook -- before being pulled down after a flurry of angry responses from the public. Burger King Russia then released an apology on VK, saying they had removed all materials related to the campaign as it was 'insulting." Neither Burger Rus nor Burger King were immediately available for comment when contacted by CNN. Earlier this month, a senior Russian lawmaker called on her countrywomen not to have sex with foreign men visiting Russia during the World Cup, saying Russian women "should give birth to our own." In a radio interview with radio station Govorit Moskva, Tamara Pletnyova, the chairperson of the Duma committee on families, women and children, said she was concerned about a rise in single mothers. Russian citizens, she said, should marry each other and "build a good family, live together, give birth to children and educate them." Pletnyova was responding to a question about a spike in births from foreign fathers following the 1980 Moscow Olympics. "These children then suffer and have suffered even from Soviet times," she said. "You know this perfectly well. It's fine if they're one race, but not if they're from a different race. I'm not a nationalist, but still. I know the children suffer, then they get abandoned and that's it, they stay with their mom here." The World Cup final is on July 15.