Wednesday 0930
I've cut and pasted my post from last night here, so that the model letters and email addresses re complaining about the 'career women ...' ads are easy to find for newcomers to the thread.
The advertising campaign's stated aim is to attract more firms to advertise outdoors by stirring up controversy and then asking people to clink on a link to a website.
There are some things that people who don't like this campaign can do to try to prevent it fulfilling its aim (using this offensive method). These are:
*complain to the Advertising Standards Authority
*complain to the Outdoor Advertising Association who are paying for the ads
*email one/some/all of the UK's top 20 biggest advertisers all of which sell products bought by mums, to express annoyance and ask them to think again about advertising outdoors
*email the Government, which is the UK's fourth largest outdoor advertiser, spending OUR money
*email the other clients of the ad agency which thought up this campaign, one of which is NSPCC.
Email addresses and model letters below.
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1. Complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority
The link to the ASA?s complaints form here:
www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/How-to-complain/Online-Form.aspx
The ASA complaints form asks you to give your name and address (which they say they don?t supply to any third parties) and where you saw the ad. I did a ?test? complaint ? you can be as brief as you like (ie just put ?outside?) or you can specify more exactly (eg on the corner of my street).
For ?who was the advertiser?? write: Outdoors Advertising Association
For ?what was the product?? write: The OAA?s ?career women make bad mothers? poster
A suggestion for a draft complaint is below. It uses the various grounds that the Code of Advertising Practice. MorningPaper has also had a look at the code ? I?ve pasted her post in this section of this post too.
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Model answer to ?description of your complaint?:
One element of the current OAA campaign makes use of the slogan ?career women make bad mothers?.
[Insert sentence about where you saw the ad eg ?I was surprised and horrified to see this untruth displayed on a billboard opposite my three year-old daughter?s nursery?.]
I want to complain on three grounds. These are:
*re decency ? that the ad has caused me serious offence. I am a hard-working mother and a good parent. In my opinion this advert deliberately and knowingly seeks to undermine women?s equality in the workplace for the purposes of publicity (for an entirely unrelated product)
*re truthfulness ? in its design, size and prominence the ad gives the misleading impression that the statement is true
*re matters of opinion ? the design, size and prominence of the ads means that it is not initially clear that this slogan is a statement of opinion and not a statement of fact
I would like these offensive ads to be removed.
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MorningPaper says:
Here are the relevant sections that you should argue are breached if you want the ASA to make sure it is using all its guns when looking at the campaign:
"I would argue that the phrase "career woman" refers to women who are working outside the home and therefore breaches the advertising codes on the following counts:
- The advertisement disparages working women and therefore breaches section 2.2 of the advertising codes:
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2.2 PRINCIPLES
All marketing communications should be prepared with a sense of responsibility to consumers and to society.
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- The advertisement targets working women by clamining that they are 'bad mothers'. It therefore causes offence on grounds of sexism and breaches section 5.1 of the advertising codes:
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5.1 DECENCY
Marketing communications should contain nothing that is likely to cause serious or widespread offence. Particular care should be taken to avoid causing offence on the grounds of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or disability. Compliance with the Code will be judged on the context, medium, audience, product and prevailing standards of decency.
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- The advertisement can be easily read by children who may not understand the context of the statement and may therefore think that their working mothers are 'bad mothers', thus breaching section 47.2 of the codes:
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47.2 CHILDREN
Marketing communications addressed to, targeted at or featuring children should contain nothing that is likely to result in their physical, mental or moral harm."
2. Advice from the Equalities Commission
I logged a call with them earlier today ? they told me an advisor would call me back (although they haven?t yet). My question ? how can I get this offensive ad removed/does it contravene equalities legislation?
For anyone else who would like to call them too the number is 0845 604 6610.
3. Complaints to the Outdoor Advertising Association
The OAA is a membership trade body representing the firms which own billboards. They?ve sponsored this ad campaign to try to demonstrate that outdoor advertising drives consumers online to a specific location (in this case a website set up for the purpose called BritainThinks).
Their chief exec Alan James is on holiday. In the interim Director of Operations Bill Wilson is deputizing for him.
His email address is:
[email protected]
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A model email for Mr Wilson
Dear Mr Wilson
I'm writing about the advertising campaign you are currently sponsoring, which is running on billboards and in other outdoor spaces around the UK.
One element of the campaign uses the slogan ?career women make bad mothers.?
I am [upset/disappointed/offended/furious] [with/about] your cheap attempt to provoke a debate at hard-working parents? expense.
As I understand it the campaign?s aim is to drive traffic to a website, so that the OAA and its members can show potential advertisers that advertising outdoors is effective.
I have decided not to waste time posting to your campaign website, but instead to:
*complain to the Advertising Standards Authority and
*to write some of the OAA members? best customers pointing out that I, a working mum, am also their customer and in light of your campaign asking them to review their outdoor ad spend
This is surely not what your ill-thought-out publicity drive intended?
Yours sincerely
4. Emails to the top 20 firms who advertise outdoors
Now for the really good bit ?. which is that the ?career women ?? ad campaign is all about persuading firms to spend more money on outdoors advertising. The OAA?s website lists the top 20 firms who spend on outdoors advertising ? and guess what? Mums buy lots of products from them.
The top 20 list (taken from the OAA's website) is below. For time reasons I prioritized with gathering contact addresses but people could email any of these firms or any others they know who advertise outdoors. One important note is that it is often the Director of Communications who holds the immediate purse strings on ad spend although for big sums like an outdoors campaign they would have to get sign off from the chief exec.
The top 20 firms who advertise outdoors and some contact addresses
VODAFONE LTD
BRITISH SKY BROADCASTING LTD
COCA COLA GREAT BRITAIN
COI
(see end of this mail for contacts and model email)
TMOBILE NETWORK
MCDONALDS RESTRS LTD
GLAXOSMITHKLINE NUTR HEALTHCARE
(call in ? awaiting response, owns Aquafresh, Macleans, Panadol, Ribena etc)
UNILEVER UK LTD
Director of Communications Planning
[email protected]
(owns Persil and various other household cleaning and food brands)
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM COMPANY
ORANGE PLC
ANHEUSER BUSCH INBEV
VIRGIN MEDIA
COORS BREWERS LTD
UNIVERSAL PICTURES LIMITED
KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN GB LTD
TESCO PLC
PA to CEO Sir Terry Leahy is
[email protected]
KELLOGGS CO OF GB LTD
Director of Corporate Communications is
[email protected]
Chris Wermann responded very promptly to emails sent this afternoon saying:
?We do NOT support this campaign and it is against our corporate and my personal values. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. We will in addition be feeding back our views to the OAA (of which we are NOT members).?
SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS
NESTLE
I haven?t found a contact for Nestle yet, but of course they make Shreddies, beloved of BLW-ers (and my DS)
CADBURY TREBOR BASSETT LTD
I thought best to leave poor old Cadbury alone ? they?re in enough trouble with takeover bids from every side.
One poster also suggested an email to BRITISH GAS CEO Phil Bentley, who has previously done an MN webchat:
[email protected]
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A model email to copy and paste or amend, to send to bosses of companies who spend a lot on outdoor advertising.
Dear Sir Terry (or other name)
I'm writing about an advertising campaign currently running on billboards and in other outdoor spaces around the UK.
I know that Tesco (or other name) spends a lot each year on outdoor advertising. I spend a lot each year in your stores.
The campaign uses the slogan 'career women make bad mothers' which I feel is not only untrue, but also patronising/offensive/degrading/cheap (add your own adjective here!).
I hope that Tesco, which serves many other women shoppers like me feels as disappointed by this tired campaign as I do. I hope you will carefully consider my comments when next reviewing your outdoor advertising spend.
Many thanks
*5. Emails to firms and organizations that have commissioned work from the Beta ad agency (who came up with these ads)
*CrazyCatLady found a list of firms and organizations who are clients of the Beta ad agency ? including Thomas Cook, BUPA and the NSPCC.
She found email addresses for the press offices there (on the basis that if you tell the press office, they generally alert the management).
Manny Fontenla-Novoa. CEO, Thomas Cook, [email protected]
Keith Bradbook, Head of Comms, NSPCC, [email protected]
Alistair How, CEO, Bupa International, [email protected]
Harriedandflustered composed this model email to the NSPCC.
Dear Sir
I'm writing about an advertising campaign currently running on billboards and in other outdoor spaces around the UK. The ads, created by Garry Lace and Robert Campbell?s agency Beta feature the strapline 'Career women make bad mothers' . This advertising agency boasts the NSPCC as one of its clients.
I hope that the NSPCC feels as disappointed by this tired campaign as I do. I hope you will carefully consider my comments when next reviewing your advertising agency spend.
Many thanks
6. Emails to COI and Angela Smith MP the Minister who looks after COI
COI is the Government?s ad agency, helping Departments spend big bucks with ad firms to help promote public information (eg recent swine flu campaign).
Government Departments, through COI, are the UK?s fourth largest purchaser of outdoor ad space. Also, COI administers a ?roster? of preferred supplier ad agencies ? you can?t get any megaspend Govt work unless you?re on the roster. The Beta ad agency (being fairly new) is not at the moment on the COI roster as far as I can see. They may have no designs on it ? but just in case they do, it seems worth pointing out to COI that they dreamed up this offensive campaign. I?d be very unhappy if any of my taxpaying career woman £££ went to Beta after this.
The chief executive of COI is:
[email protected]
Because COI is a Government agency a Minister, Angela Smith, based at the Cabinet Office, has ultimate responsibility for overseeing its workings.
Angela Smith?s private secretary:
[email protected]
(Note ? there are currently two women MPs called Angela Smith ? the ?correct? Angela is MP for Basildon)
A model email to COI
Dear Mr Lund
I'm writing about an offensive advertising campaign currently running on billboards and in other outdoor spaces around the UK. It is a campaign which looks to promote outdoor advertising as an effective medium.
I know that COI was in 2009 the UK?s fourth largest outdoor advertiser.
The campaign uses the slogan 'career women make bad mothers' which I feel is not only untrue, but also patronising/degrading/cheap (add your own adjective here!). In my opinion this advert deliberately and knowingly seeks to undermine women?s equality in the workplace for the purposes of publicity. I cannot think that the COI, as a Government agency spending public money could condone this.
As a working mother and a UK taxpayer and citizen I would ask that you carefully consider your outdoor advertising spend in light of this campaign.
I would also be disappointed to see the advertising agency which conceived the campaign, Beta of 34-36 Carnaby Street London, be added to the COI roster in future, should they apply to join it.
I have also contacted the ASA and COI Minister Angela Smith MP to complain about this ad.
Yours sincerely
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A model email to Angela Smith MP.
Dear Ms Smith
I'm writing to you in your capacity as Minister for COI, about an offensive advertising campaign currently running on billboards and in other outdoor spaces around the UK. It is a campaign which looks to promote outdoor advertising as an effective medium.
I know that COI was in 2009 the UK?s fourth largest outdoor advertiser.
The campaign uses the slogan 'career women make bad mothers' which I feel is not only untrue, but also patronising/ degrading/cheap (add your own adjective here!). In my opinion this advert deliberately and knowingly seeks to undermine women?s equality in the workplace for the purposes of publicity. I cannot think that the COI, as a Government agency spending public money could condone this, particularly given this Government?s commitment to progressing equalities.
As a working mother and a UK taxpayer and citizen I would like to ask that you speak to COI management about how it administers the Government?s outdoor advertising spend for 2010. Perhaps in light of this campaign Government spending should be reduced or redirected?
I would also be disappointed to see the advertising agency which conceived the campaign, Beta of 34-36 Carnaby Street London, be added to the COI roster in future, should they apply to join it.
I have also contacted the ASA to complain about this ad.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely
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Thank you and good night