Advertising

[xoxoxoBruce]

Advertising is supposed to sell us stuff, but in todays world their biggest challenge is to first get our attention.
That makes for some pretty bizarre, and often offensive, ads.

Case in point, Ford has been apologizing for JWT India's latest campaign for the Ford Figo in India.
Especially the one showing former Italian Prime Minister and world class scumbag, Silvio Berlusconi, hauling hookers.



There's less outrage, but Ford's apologizing anyway, for the Hilton and Schumacher ads.



Does that mean it's OK for women to tie up women, and men tie up men?

[Clodfobble]

Which carries a longer prison sentence, rape or kidnapping? I honestly don't know.

[DanaC]

I don't think it's that really. I think it's that, when we come up with our own little story to those images, the second and third conjure an over the top cartoon vengeance against rivals, whereas the first instantly conjures the all too familiar narrative trope in popular culture of women being abducted by male attackers and violently raped.


[eta] there's also a different power balance on show. Setting aside who the individuals are, the immediate images evoke different responses because they draw on different power balances, according to the way our culture defines power. There is a single driver in each case, and three prisoners. In the second and third pic, the imbalance in power that comes from three of them being bound and gagged is largely offset by the other imbalance of three men to one. Likewise with the three women bound and gagged and captive to another woman. But in the first pic, the imbalance that comes from the three prisoners being bound and gagged by the single driver is not offset by the imbalance in numbers. We do not see a three against one situation here, we see a man against women and that mirrors that first imbalance in power despite the uneven numbers.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I'm not so sure, Dana, The first one looks like it could be, or at least started as, semi-consensual. The leather outfits kind of going with ball gags and restraints. Maybe because Berlusconi is such a notorious sexist.

The other two, however, are clearly non-consensual kidnappings. But I agree they're cartoonishly preposturous situations. Like Hilton or Shumacher would drive a Ford Figo.

And for Ford, they don't want anyone annoyed, so it's all damage control.

[Griff]

My initial impression is in line with Dana's. Is anyone else weirded out that those particular public figures are relevant in India?

[Undertoad]

One world culture!

Of crap!

[Gravdigr]

Originally Posted by Clodfobble

Which carries a longer prison sentence, rape or kidnapping? I honestly don't know.

Kidnapping. Most of the time. Here in Merka, anyway.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

One world culture!

Of crap!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

One world culture!

Of crap!

Thank you, internet.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Florida has come up with an advertising gimmick that catches attention, but is temporary, unlike the face tattoos a couple years back.



It looks like someone thought they could make a buck by adapting something a few people were doing for fun.



link

[xoxoxoBruce]

The swift dismissal of the JWT India employees responsible for the ads is a sign that the agency is trying to make good on the blunder.

When we asked if Ford will yank the business from JWT or parent company WPP or put its India ad account into review, Mr. Preuss said "no such action" has been contemplated.

link

[footfootfoot]

Nice damage control! Ever the skeptic, I wonder how 'fake' those ads really were? Ford has come a long way from its Nazi sponsoring past.