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.

OAA, this is the right result that the posters be pulled immediately and I am pleased to see an apology posted here. However I echo others in that there was no misunderstanding present, this was an example of an inappropriate and offensive campaign, no two ways about it.

MrsB I said it on the other thread but just again wanted to say thank you for all your hard work on this and to everyone who got involved. It WAS worth it and it just goes to show what can be achieved when we stand up for what is right.

I agree with you that it would be appropriate to hear from Mr Wilson directly MrsB. Not sure how he'll do that, wonder if he'll be brave enough to tackle breakfast telly?

How did I miss all this?

Well done mrsB.

wmmc like your post about why "misunderstanding" defence is bunch of arse.

yy OAA and all the twunts at Beta: It's not that we don't GET that it's supposed to be provocative (we may just be women but we're not stupid).

We still have more work to do.

The phrase 'career women make bad mothers' has been pulled from the front page of the Britain thinks website, but the content is STILL THERE under 'business'. OAA - you need to instruct Beta to remove this immediately.

Great result, well done MrsB

I just find those comments underneath so depressing though. So many people who are still mysogynistic pillocks.

There were an awful lot of jokes about our Garry on the other thread. And yes, he does have a double R. And all our poems and haikus and limericks have been deleted. In fact I think there are now more deletions than posts ...

So, any posts involving mailing used nappies or the size of anyone's todger are liable to be deleted. Just so you know.

Poor MN Towers. We are making their hair curl and turn grey.

Exactly. The comments are precisely why it was important to object. Because we know this would just stir up hatred and as many people have said because women and mothers in particular are such an easy target to patronise and offend.

My comment was to rockbird. Not glorifying the idea of MNHQ's hair turning any more grey.

Harried -my limerick is alive and well in other places on the web. And since it's been deleted here I may just have to go see if I can post another few copies with an addendum I may pen this evening.

Let's see 'em find every copy if they can.... good luck with that chaps.

I don't like companies that invoke the libel laws when they themselves are in the wrong. It smacks of bullying. I have no doubt Justine will dutifully be forced to remove my posts on the subject on the original thread plus these probably.

Now who wants to link to the grabbed cache google is holding with all your delightful comments?

Yours was my favourite choc

Why thank you LadyBlaBlah, but I am now removing myself entirely from this subject.

Let's see....we have....

Fear; uncertainty; doubt

My work here is done

Well done everyone involved, that was bloody fantastic! I can't believe I missed out on being a part of it all!

Seems a scary sort of apology indeed.

Defence counsel: Mr Adman, have you ever masturbated?
Adman: I don't see why that is relevant
Defence counsel: Nevertheless, I would ask you to answer the question, which I shall repreat for you. Have you ever masturbated?
Adman: Well involuntarily perhaps
Defence counsel: You are under oath
Adman: Well yes I have masturbated
Defence counsel: Do you accept that a common term for someone who masturbates is a wanker?
Adman: No, not at all
Defence counsel: I would remind you once more that you are under oath
Adman: Well I have heard the phrase
Defence counsel: Do you accept that you, being an admitted masturbator, might accurately be described as a wanker?
Adman: No not at all
Defence counsel: In what way would it be inaccurate to describe you as a wanker?
Adman : Erm
Defence counsel: My lords, the defence rests its case

ROFL glad I read that before it gets pulled.

Copy and paste it and send it to Private Eye.

A quick post before DS wakes up.

I thought I might, myself, email the OAA's Bill Wilson a short note commending him on his decision to pull the ad and saying that I would note my pleasure at this turnaround with outdoor advertisers eg Kelloggs I had contacted.

I'll do this later and post a model email here so that anyone else who would like to do the same but doesn't have time to compose their own can use.

As for reputational damage to the ad agency - as I said on an earlier post, I'm sure the agency, as part of their communications planning for this campaign must have considered risks, including to the reputation of their own agency as well as to the client. Didn't they?

good idea MrsB

mrsb I would also like to write to Mr Wilson to do the same, but also to point out that the offending content is STILL ON THE BLOODY SITE... OAA must insist it is removed immediately.

I agree re reputational damage - surely an experienced CEO with decades in the industry would have considered the potential fallout from running an offensive campaign? And it's pretty naive in today's world to think you can censor control a debate in the manner they clearly wanted to.

Now good advertising is about clever, powerful comms that persuade your target audience to do something, buy something or behave in a certain way, right? So surely if you're one of the industry's top players who runs a campaign that happens to unexpectedly backfire, you'd be able to dig your way of the reputational crater by using more of that clever talk with media and the public. But not being available for comment, then issuing legal letters smacks of someone who maybe just isn't very good? If they can't defend their campaign through the power of communications then what on earth are they doing? Their key messages to media at launch were all over the place too...

This proves to me just how crass and unprofessional a lot of the advertising industry still really is. Perhaps the OAA would like to try some PR instead .

They don't have a legal leg to stand on BTW.

Good, am glad OAA made an unreserved apology. As they should - its a deeply offensive slogan, in so many ways, that is damaging to all women, not just mothers who work ("career women" - snort).

Well done Mrs Baldwin. Agree with other posters, too, that the slogan should be removed everywhere immediately.

In realising the offence caused by the ?career women? poster which led to the swift withdrawal of the design, we stated that the question posed in no way reflected the thoughts of either the OAA or its members. We would also like to make very clear that this statement did not reflect the views of the advertisers.

Once again we wish to extend our apologies to all parties offended by this design.

Here are two model emails that those who are inclined could send to Bill Wilson of the Outdoor Advertising Association and to any large firms of outdoor advertisers they contacted.

_

This model email to Bill Wilson

[email protected]

Dear Mr Wilson

I?m writing to say how pleased I am that the OAA has decided to take down its [insulting/patronising/disappointing etc] ?career women make bad mothers? ads.

Thank you also for your unreserved apology.

I hope, as you say in your statement to Mumsnet that the ads will be taken down as quickly as possible, to avoid causing further offence.

I will be writing to outdoor advertisers that I contacted about your campaign to note that the ads are to be removed.

Yours sincerely

This model email to Chris Wermann of Kelloggs

[email protected]

Dear Mr Wermann

I wrote to you earlier this week about an outdoor advertising campaign sponsored by the Outdoor Advertising Association which used the slogan ?career women make bad mothers?.

I am very pleased that the OAA has now apologised via a statement on the Mumsnet website for any offence caused by the ad and has issued instructions to its members for it to be withdrawn.

Thank you very much for taking the time to consider this matter.

Yours sincerely

Find other email addresses to write to on the thread containing the original compendium of model letters, here:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/in_the_news/888486-the-39-career-women-make-bad-mothers-39-model-complaint