Van rental company makes sexist jokes part of its marketing plan

Via ABC

An Australian company that calls itself "Wicked Campers" has pissed off thousands of people with its on-vehicle slogans, prompting a massive online petition and complaints to regulators.

The campaign was led by Paula Orbea, who reacted after her 11-year-old daughter told her about the "little slut" slogan she had seen on a Wicked Campers van.

From Change.org:

It is inconceivable that Wicked Campers choose to not only write the misogynistic 'joke' but also then publicise it through their moving, billboard vans.  

Disgustingly they have also promoted that, 'Fat girls are harder to kidnap.' 

Shame on them. 

Adult females are also degraded into sexual objectification and disrespect - with slogans on show for people of all ages to indiscriminately see and absorb:  

'A wife: An attachement you screw on the bed to get the housework done.''A blowjob is a great last minute gift!''I wouldn't trust anything that bleeds for five days and doesn't die!' 

Racism has also played a part with slogans such as:'Save the whales, harpoon a Jap.'

The company, which markets mostly to young backpackers, has gotten in trouble with Australia's Advertising Standards Board before. Many, many times. But according to Marketing Mag, they have failed to respond to any rulings, whether for or against, since mid-2010.

This time, however, the company seems to have rolled over, and Ms. Orbea declared victory:

Wicked Campers have apologised, and committed to removing all misogynistic slogans from their vans within six months. Nothing has shifted them in the past. Complaints. Fines. But after initially responding to the petition saying they "didn't care about the uproar" – after your massive support for my petition, they've apologised and will re-spray the offensive, sexist vans.

Crappy local car dealership ad promotes marriage equality

The normalization of same-sex marriage in brand ads has been well documented over the past few years, with significant statements by Microsoft, Target, Kindle, Mariott, and Honey Maid — among many others.

But at this point, does revealing that a character in a mainstream ad is married to someone of the same gender have any "Shock Value" left?



I'm happy that equal marriage is the new shibboleth for brand hipness. I just wish the creatives would move past using same-sex marriage as the whole point of their ads, and just have it be no big deal. (Some decent scripting would be a bonus.)

Considering the reactionary work of groups like One Million Moms, however, I guess I may have to wait a few years for that.

By the way, SF Bay CBS, my source for this post, points out that Canada was doing "surprise lesbian couple" ads back in 2008:

Does this Audi campaign actually encourage distracted driving?

At first sight, I thought this was a CSR campaign against distracted driving. But after reading the fine print ("Detects danger when you don't. Audi Pre Sense") it feels like the exact opposite.

In my work with the Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF), one of the many things I've learned is that safety features can actually make people drive more carelessly. We did a whole campaign about it, called "Brain On Board," for the Toyota Foundation, because Toyota Canada feels the need to remind drivers not to let their advanced safety features make them less careful drivers.

This German Audi campaign, however, especially the "emails" one above, take the dangerous position that distracted driving is going to happen anyway, and that this new feature can save you from your own stupidity.

I have a message for the agency, "thjnk", in Hamburg, Germany: THINK!

Tip via Ads of The World

Dumbest car ads ever appear in Slovakia

This bizarrely ill-conceived "Ford" campaign was submitted to Ads of The World by JANDL, in Bratislava, Slovakia. The comments immediately questioned whether a venerable old brand like Ford would ever approve such weird and offensive creative.

They didn't. According to JANDL's site, the campaign was signed off by "Bratislava Summit Motors, Ford distributor in Slovakia." I don't imagine the brand mothership will be pleased.

Especially since one of them is blatantly racist:

There is also video:

New car, same old sexism

@ChristineBohan shared this Skoda car ad from the Irish Independent.

I'll just leave it here.

h/t @EverydaySexism

Subaru ad serves up old-timey sexism

If they had web ads in the 1950s, I'll bet they'd look like this:

This ad, which compounds its failure by having a bad link, was spotted on Fark.com. 

There's also a banner:

I guess the archaic humour is supposed to be ironic. It might have worked for a beer brand, with the explanation "we're making fun of that sort of thing", but for a major automotive brand it's a lemon.

Queen's University featured in sexist old MGB video

The Facebook page Vintage Kingston shared this hilariously outdated 1960s promotional clip for MGB cars, set at my alma mater, Queen's University:



My Mom went to Queens around this time. I'll bet it wasn't nearly as hilarious to live through that sexist era as it is to look back at its primitive views on women.

Fiat 500L: Big enough for a whipped cream party with three international beauty pageant contestants

I'm not sure if this is another spec ad or not. But one thing's for sure: It's not subtle.

The campaign, via Ads of The World, is by Leo Burnett, Spain.

Let's have a closer look at the guy with the whipped cream, shall we?

Yeah... no.

You've got to love the way his "cream" is spurting out all over the place.

The campaign has two more iterations. One is actually quite clever, if you're into '80s movies:

The other one takes a weird, retro-racist angle:

They're all, supposedly, about the Fiat 500L's bigger interior capacity. But the concept looks more like something that's been sitting around the creative department for a while, looking for an excuse to be executed.

Questionable subject matter aside, however, the illustration style is pretty neat.

The most disturbing car ad starring Silvio Berlusconi you will see today

Via Ads of The World

Ball gags?!? This is part of a bizarre campaign, by JWT India, for a Ford with lots of trunk space.

The other executions show Michael Schumacher with rival drivers tied up in the back, and Paris Hilton having kidnapped the Kardashians.

Really weird and disturbing. I'm surprised the Ford brand is good with this.

Update: The ads were really created by Ford's Indian AOR, but were not ever approved.

Ford and its ad agency issued apologies for a tasteless Ford Figo ad — in which former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi is shown with a bunch of gagged and crying women in the trunk of his car — that was never meant to see the light of day. 

It turns out a young creative team at JWT India, Ford Figo's agency of record, made the spot and posted it to website Ads of the World without approval. (It has since been removed.)

Ford and WPP Group (owner of JWT) have nonetheless issued formal apologies.

Update 2: Not just the work of renegade creatives, apparently. Adland writes that "Bobby Pawar, JWT India's chief creative officer & managing partner, as well as Vijay SimhaVellanki, creative director at Blue Hive, a WPP unit dedicated to managing the Ford business, have been asked to resign."

E-bikes marketed to environmentalist stalkers

I did not know this was a desirable target audience...

Via Ads of The World

2013 Pirelli calendar features clothed models, one of whom is pregnant

Well, that's a surprise.

The Pirelli calendar, a high-end promotional item since 1964, has also become known for its "arty" erotic nude photos of supermodels by a-list photographers. But as Buzzfeed's Amy Odell reports, 2013 photographer Steve McCurry elected not to photograph any of the models naked. The Associated Press adds that the calendar also includes non-models such as actress Sonia Braga and singer Marisa Monte, "chosen not only for their looks but also for their commitment to worthy causes".

Of course, the calendar still manages to eroticize some of its subjects, including then-pregnant Brazilian model Adriana Lima (above). However, it also features street scenes from the shoot location in Rio de Janiero.

Interesting development.

Sex in amateur advertising is even worse, somehow

If you want an example of how "sex sells" is a mantra embedded in our society, take a look at this ebay listing for a 1977 Datsun Z-Series 280Z.

The seller, lotuskim, is a regular auto seller on the online auction site, and he wrote the listing with gusto:

ZZZAP!!! Amazing two owner West Coast car with only 49,964 miles as of 11/08/2012. Repainted original Datsun Sunshine Yellow, still has original black upholstery in great condition! Rare features include original factory air conditioning & dealer installed rear window slats. Powered by a fuel injected L28 (2.8 liter) inline overhead cam 6 cylinder, followed up with a 4 speed transmission, independent suspension all the way around, rack and pinion steering, front disc and rear drum brakes makes for a great handling fun to drive 2 seat sports coupe!! Custom touches include an upgraded sound system, custom 17” wheels with Federal 215/40/17 performance radials. Runs and drives fantastic----way cool car!!!!! Fresh service including oil & filter, new battery, alternator, voltage regulator, & clutch slave cylinder. Drive a legand!!!!

(As examiner.com notes, "In 1977 alone, Datsun made over 55,000 units of these 280Z’s, making them uncommon today, but certainly not rare.")

But exaggeration isn't what made this listing noteworthy. In showing off the car, lotuskim posted more than 20 different pictures of the car, most featuring a provocatively-posed young model identified only as "Lexxa":

This resulted in a few sexualized troll comments in the posting's Q&A. The seller's joking response to one of them, "Nice way to talk about my daughter!!!!," caused the examiner.com writer to assume that he was serious. The news of which then ended up on Buzzfeed and who knows where else.

In case you're wondering, the old car sold for $7,500. So I guess we can expect a lot more of this kind of thing.

UPDATE: According to Adfreak, Lexxa really is the seller's daughter:

Lexxa Ridley, 20, is the model seen posing provocatively in a series of photos posted by her father, Kim, in an eBay for-sale listing for his 1977 Datsun 280Z.
...
Papa Ridley—who runs Ridley's Rides in Eugene, Ore.—tells AdFreak, adding that he often uses sexy snaps of his daughter and her pals to move product. "Girls and dogs attract people's attention," he says. He's also used Max, his golden retriever, in ads, including a motorcycle shot with Lexxa driving and the dog in the sidecar.

Femen furious with Fiat for filching their image

The infamous Ukrainian anarcho-feminist movement, known for protesting topless agains prostitution, corruption and misogyny, now have a new target: admen.

Via the Femen Faceboook page:

Fiat dishonestly uses image of femen activists in advertising campaign to promote their product at the Latin American market. Brazilian advertisers use recognizable attributes of the women's movement femen in their video without our consent. We believe such action against us is unfair.

Have a look for yourself (it's in Portuguese):



It sure seems "inspired" by Femen, who also have an active chapter in Brazil. In addition to co-opting their concept, the ad also wimps out on the nudity, then undermines their ideals by having them women gleefully jump into the man's car at the end.

This wouldn't be the first time a grassroots, anti-system movement was co-opted by the very "Man" they oppose. But note that Femen don't seem to be attempting any legal action, just social complaint.

What do you think of this?

The most beautiful car ad you will never see in the United States

Because, you know, "won't somebody PLEASE think about the CHILDREN!"



Being a French ad, it also has a little sex in it.

Wonderful work by Euro RSCG.

Via Illegal Advertising

2 Girls, 2 Hop Balls advertise insurance in Romanian

This bizarre ad (from 2010) is for Asirom, a Romanian Insurance company. I don't speak the language, but the context and Latinate nouns are easy enough to figure out. If you're into that kind of thing.



If you're still confused, Marketing Paradise explains (loosely translated from the French): This advertisement explains what to do in case of a (sexy) car crash if one (sexy) driver has no insurance. In this case, it is necessary to involve the (sexy) police.

Tip via Illegal Advertising

That's one heartwarming car ad

It's adorable, isn't it? I won't get all cynical on you this time. I'm a dad. So I like it.

Via IBiA

Ford to minivan drivers: "You suck"

Can anyone really tell the difference between SUVs and Minivans anymore? In 2012, Car and Driver announced the 2012 Ford C-Max as "Ford’s latest attempt at a minivan." Two years later, it's a "car" in the United States, and a "compact minivan" in Israel.

And apparently, Ford is willing to completely turn its back on the minivan market (in Israel, anyway) with this anti-SUV campaign by BBR Saatchi & Saatchi.

See the other two, totally redundant, ads in the campaign at Ads of The World.

Model sues Volvo for implying her vulva was for sale #FdAdFriday

In a Hertz promotional ad apparently written by a 12-year-old boy during an Axe-scented sleepover with his bros, "Swedish models" are offered up as if they were escorts. The ad's placement on an Australian singles' site didn't help matters.

Yeah, it's all very punny. But American model Carolyn Giles took offence at her pic being used in such a suggestive manner. (No mention of whether she minded being portrayed as Swedish.) According to Business Insider, she is suing Volvo and Hertz for $10 million for making it "appear that she may be an escort, with extreme sexual and inappropriate connotations and innuendos." Her agency, Ford Models, is also named for failing to protect her best interests.

The 30-year-old model shot a web ad for Volvo back in 2007, and the picture was reused (without compensation) on a series of Hertz ads including the Volvo/a one above.

Esso would help you get laid in your car if it could

Found this 1970 magazine ad on Retronaut. It's as old as I am, and yet I'm not sure we ever got past this kind of sexism in advertising. Maybe we never will.

Via BI

Waterproofing fails to protect woman from wet t-shirt #FdAdFridays

This gratuitous wet t-shirt ad attempts to show the product benefit of Duxcoat, a waterproof treatment for windshields, etc. It fails:



You see, the thing is, if the tee had been coated in Duxcoat, and it really was impermeable, the shirt never would have soaked through to begin with. But then we never would have had that lingering nipple close-up.

Via Adrants