Walkers urges public to swear off four-letter word ‘fine’ with Comic Relief swear jar

The widespread euphemism is employed by around 77% of Britons, who default to a stock ‘I’m fine’ response whenever a loaded ‘How are you?’ question is posed.

Working with VCCP London, the mental health campaign observes that only by confronting difficult issues can we hope to resolve them, and the first step toward doing this is a more expressive vocabulary.

To achieve this Wax announces a fine for saying 'fine’ in a campaign video, which also sees the campaigner encourage close friends and family to open up on their true feelings.

Wax said: “As a subject very close to my heart, I’m hoping that through this campaign and banning what is, in my opinion, the most offensive ‘F***’ word out there, we can open up the conversation surrounding mental wellbeing.”

Ross Neil, creative director at VCCP, added: “Let’s face it, we’ve all had an eventful last two years. Yet whenever someone asks how we are, we tend to keep everything pushed down inside by cutting off a real response with ‘fine.’ What’s wrong with opening up? Let’s put an end to masking our real emotions by putting a fine on using the worst F word of them all... fine.

“We’re using the emblem of the swear jar to discourage people from using the F word and, instead of saying fine, opening up. It really does help. It’s great when two powerhouse brands such as Walkers and Comic Relief come together for a great cause such as mental wellbeing. And add to the mix the effervescent Ruby Wax and you have all the ingredients for a great campaign. Just mind your language!”

Walkers began the year with a multi-million-pound TV campaign giving viewers a bottom-of-the-bag perspective of a crisp’s final journey from bag to mouth.