OAA Apologise for "Career Women Make Bad Mothers" Campaign

[OAA]

The OAA are running a campaign to demonstrate the power of outdoor advertising to drive people online. This is being done in conjunction with a new website called ?Britainthinks.com? which encourages debate amongst the people of Britain.

We regret any misunderstanding that led to feelings of offence on the part of members of the Mumsnet community.

The intention of the website is to generate debate by posing questions that are deemed to be socially relevant by members of society.

We did not intend to cause any offence and we would stress that the questions posed were not the opinions of the OAA or any of its members.

Three posters were designed to initiate the debate using sport, life and politics and these are supported by dozens of other questions on the website itself.

Regrettably the question relating to ?career women? has caused offence and the OAA unreservedly apologises to anyone who has been offended. This was not our intention and, to ensure that this misunderstanding does not persist, instructions have been given to remove this poster.

Subject to the vagaries of the weather, all copy will be removed as soon as possible. The sites currently carrying this poster will be either blanked-out or carry one of the other designs. The poster will also be removed from the ?Britainthinks.com? website. All Digital posters have already been removed.

yep... totally agree with you MrsB.
Ultimately it's Justine's call though,...no?
now... back to that white wine

am now being swayed back by Dittany

I suggest mnhq open a new thread on which she can list the suggestions so far and people can add their suggestions over the weekend. Then mnhq can decide which to go with if they decide to run with it.

I share other mumsnetters' fears about running a campaign that makes us come across as a bunch of lentil weavers with bad shoes and beards. There is that image already associated with mumsnet and it's wrong. As we are hugely diverse community.

I loathe that assumption as I'm personally vigilant about six o clock shadow.

PS MNHQ - could you clarify? Have Beta suggested some kind of RL deal to you ie 'we stop sending you lawyers letters if you agree to a co-branded Mumsnet/BritainThinks ad?'

I don't think that ANY business would care if their logo was tatooed on Garry Lace's if it meant £Xk worth of free advertising

But personally I think either way

MNHQ own the copyright don't they?

I really just want the Haikus back

Right, this in the end of it for me. It is a definite NO vote. There is NO benefit that I can garner, and it is too risky and rushed

Poor, poor haikus. They aren't used to controversy. It is like stamping on chinchillas.

Wouldn't the simplest way for Beta to dig themselves out of their hole, without reference to us, be to change their ads to:

Career Women Make Good Mothers

to redress the balance.

I'd be happy for them to use this if they changed just one prominently-displayed poster to my earlier suggestion

I want your haikus back too

mrsbaldwin you're right. I think the official line from MNHQ should be a polite thanks but no thanks. In fact, based on what I've seen of your posts in the last few days, I'm starting to think you may always be right.

Although I think the MN apology may have scuppered the deal anyway?

Can we have permission to vandalise any remaining adverts that we see please?

(not that I've left the house for two weeks on account of the polar bears roaming the streets etc)

Dittany / Madame - there is nothing stopping Beta putting up some anti-sexist ads of their own volition, I just wholeheartedly believe that MN should not be associated with it in any way for all the reasons mrsb, worm, I and others have stated. They do not need our approval to do it.

GrimmatheNome - can you remind us all of your earlier suggestion?

What do you think Dittany ? You will sway the vote

Yes, I guess they should do their own dirty work.

After all, its what they are paid for

IIRC

Career Women Make Bad MotherF*ing Admen Apologise

Still agreeing with Crazycatwoman and MrsBaldwin.

The trouble is that any message that 'we' put up there will be in the context of this campaign, which itself seems a bit odd and ill-conceived in the first place.

Lol at 'brains full of milk'

[disclaimer - that was only ever intended as a joke. I think I have some Tourettes variant which means that I simply cannot keep any sort of bad pun to myself. My DD can corroborate this]