To think that sending softcore porn in a marketing email to woo new professional clients is not the best idea?

[KnitFastDieWarm]

I received this picture of a woman's bikini-clad pubic region in my work email inbox today - I'm a financial services professional. Or a disembodied fanjo, as I like to refer to myself when I find myself getting a little too big for my professional boots

The really sad thing is, it probably works on some people. I emailed them to complan but I can hear the eye-rolling and accusations of 'prude' from here...

As it happens, being bisexual I enjoy a fanjo as much as the next person but only when it's a) attached to a woman with thoughts and feelings rather than being used to sell something and b)not popping up in my work email inbox before I've finished my first coffee of the day!

Goldentree would like to apologise to anyone who was offended by our marketing e-shot yesterday. It was never our intention to offend anyone

?????? The subject line was 'Will anyone resign over this?'

Hey Goldentree, stop being so disingenuous.

And while we're at it, I have SO shopped you to the ASA. Have fun with that one.

Oh, they're actually just a tinpot money lending operation. I'm less surprised that they'd put out stupendously misjudged ads now, but it doesn't make the ad any less shit.

At first I thought they were an accounting or audit company, because of the 'Financial Services' bit, but no. Here is who they are:

'Goldentree was established in 2001 and the principal shareholder is Fred Done of Betfred.

Goldentree is a finance business, lending its own cash in the short term property finance sector.'

This explains why NorthMountain gets e-mails from Herman at Goldentree asking to put money into her account

BTW ad has now been retweeted a few times, and it's not complimentary. Still can't find it on Everyday Sexism though, which is annoying. Perhaps it's because I'm not registered on Twitter.

Oh good WORK knitfast

I thought they liked a bit of controversy.

What a crap apology.

Whatever their intention was they've shown themselves up to be ignorant, sexist, arses - not a great way to seek new customers.

I had a series of similar emails from a client (a VC fund). Since it would have been professionally imprudent of me to email to complain, I passive aggressively unsubscribed. That'll learn 'em.

That's the same response as on twitter and the email response to me.

A standard "oops" but they don't seem as contrite as I would like them to be.

Btw I emailed all of the addresses in the ad with a link to this thread.

Do let us know if anyone hears anything back...at the very least it will keep them so busy answering complaints that they won't have time to think up any more terrible ads

YouAreMyRain did you get the exact word for word response as I did? I did suspect it might be a c&p job

Trouble is, theres no such thing as bad publicity....

This was my email:

Dear Rain,

I’m writing to apologise about our marketing e-shot yesterday.

It was and is never our intention to offend anyone with our marketing material but we haven’t appreciated the response this might cause.

Your Sincerely

Steve Marsh
Managing Director

Haha word for word identical! Thanks for taking us seriously, Steve!

There's not much traffic on their twitter pages but they sent the apology out at 9.01 this morning so they're obviously worried.
They really made themselves look stupid and unprofessional. I've had another look at the advert and it's quite horrible. They've deliberately chosen a photograph which tries to give a glimpse of the woman's intimate parts. The word accessible is in there for pretty unambiguous reasons too. And don't start me on their use of numerous !!!!! If my 13 year old had written that I'd tell him not to be so childish.

I emailed Joanne individually yesterday with my sympathy for her working in such a misogynist environment with juvenile idiots (or similar wording)

She hasn't responded.

It's so bad it's funny, then offensive. I just don't know what to say. It's just, just, fuck me, hold on while I pick my jaw off the floor.

I might email Steve Marsh back with a load of commas, they seem to be running low on them in the office.

Bad grammar too.

I'm replied to Steve inviting him to offer his further thoughts on this and explain himself - but he mind need a while to copy and paste a longer stock response together so don't hold your breath

I don't have twitter, but does anyone fancy tweeting buzzfeed uk or similar about this? They are usually pretty on the ball at calling out sexism etc

maybe not with this thread (don't need more journos on here , but with the ad itself/the twitter comments

A solicitor friend of mine has also pointed out that the advert may be in breach of financial conduct authority regulations concerning financial promotions (due to the wording, not the image), and has suggested I complain to them, too.

Goldentree, if you're going to draw attention to yourselves in such a spectacularly tacky way, you'd better make damn sure you're not on the potentially breaching FCA consumer credit regulations, eh?

Oh dear.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear.

What happened to liking a bit of controversy? That thing the financial sector just totally love...