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.

I haven't read the whole thread but it makes me laugh a bit that 'MN' (whoever they are) are so up in arms about this when there are so many highly judgemental threads and posts on here.

A bad mother is one who starves/beats/ignores/emotionally abuses (and OK there are other that we could agree on) her kids, regardless of career woman, sahm, wohm or whatever.

The slogan on the side of the bus is just pathetic rubbish and the uproar rather than silent derision has got them advertising!!!!

If people just stopped trying to justify their choices by denigrating everyone else's then the world would be a much happier place.

so what's your point, then, wrt to sexist sloganeering? i don't understand.

I think my point is that on here people have a go at career women, those on benefits, sahms, wohms. Is it not sexist just because it is from other women?

I got far more wound up by a similar argument on the BBC's sunday morning discussion programme.

I just think in this case OAA or whoever they are are rubbing their hands together in glee - apology or not this is what they wanted. Raise their profile up their advertising revenue.

individuals have a go at x, y or z, it's not officially sanctioned. and crucially, the x, y or zedders get to have a go right back.

Another vote here to support MrsBaldwin's draft letter.

There are good reasons for each of the charities suggested, and I think that the point about 'casual use of sexist slogans to engineer web traffic' has been made as well as it can be. I don't think that an 'anti-sexism' slogan on billboards with such limited exposure as has been offered would have much impact; a slogan about the homeless would do. So I would prefer Shelter myself, but strongly agree with placing the onus on Beta.

I have been following threads avidly and delighting in so many excellent, witty, informed posts. Thanks to all concerned for such effective and intelligent input.

Typical! I decide to stop following the NYT on Twitter today and they post this

but I still can't think of anything else with the letters 'b-a-d' in, as a temporary graffitto.

career women make badged...

...make badgers?

make badorable parents?

TBH I don't know what a trade body is. Looking at their website doesn't leave me much wiser, although it is nearly 11 o clock so I'm a bit tired! By raising their profile though I meant that they wanted to get more hits on their website.

It is true that individuals make the judgey points on MN I just hate judgey-ness generally.

And whether we like it or not the slogan is something that many people think is true. Even if it clearly isn't!

i LOVE it. makes the world go round.

iheartdusty - morningpaper suggested adding in 'ass' after the word bad which I think is as good as anything

A trade body is an organisation set up by particular industries or suchlike to promote the industry as a whole, lobby for the industries interests in parliament, and often be guardians of codes of conduct. It is usually funded by subscriptions from companies in that industry.

That was suggested on Mediaweek originally I think. Made me laugh. The comments also included some crazed conspiracy theory that we were a rival start up ad agency ... Made me laugh more

We should be a rival ad agency. We'd clean up!

We must have enough experienced current/ex ad agency people on here to start up our own!

I've lost the plot with the last 20 or so posts. I don't know what Attch loves - she will have to come back and enlighten me because it sounds pretty good. Also I don't understand what Brettgirl is saying

Should I just forget and open some wine?

Well if that's the best they can come up with it probably wouldn't be that hard

Harried I'm just saying that all this uproar, letter writing and publicity is exactly what OAA wanted.

i love the judging, hattie. it's what humans do.

agree totally that we should start an ad agency, biwi. can i be the receptionist?
'menopausal media, canihelpyoooooou?'

they were looking for data to show to advertisers to prove that an outside campaign drives traffic to the website of their choice, it's a monumental fail.

Note to NYT: in the UK we are Mums. This is Mumsnet.

Moms, bleargh.

Thread has moved on too much, I don't know what MrsB is being applauded for now...sigh. Too late to find out now, and by the time I check back it'll have moved on again no doubt.