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.

agree, dittany.

I agree with Dittany too

However we ARE starting to sound a bit like a never-ending Parish Council meeting

Justine will need to stab a pin into the thread

Well, its clearly that Beta are not prepared to support the charity poster idea.

So if they want an anti-sexist statement I think they should put their highly paid copywriters on the case.

They have had our suggestions. Go and work it up now into a truly splendid poster. And leave us out of it.

They are after all trying to appease all offended working mothers, not just those on MN.

I'm not sure if they do care about appeasing working mothers tbh. It's probably more about appeasing the client and being seen to have 'turned around the campaign' so that when it's written about in their trade press it looks like a success for them and so they can use it as a case study when wooing future potential clients. I can completely understand why they might want to do this, they are a business afterall, and a new ambitious one that is keen to bring on more clients.

It's naive to think this is about us, or working mothers in general. That's why I say leave them to it.

Has a thread for coordinating poster locations and when they are taken down been done? I remember dittany suggesting it earlier on another thread.

I think walk away.

If Garry makes me or any other woman look a fool I'll have no alternative but to take a view on it.

Garry: a boy named sue.

I don't think they'll post here again once they realise we're not interested in helping them turn their campaign around.

God I know, creepy isn't it!

I am a tad fucking furious to find a new poster site in Banbury today with the withdrawn poster on it!!!

And no, it's not because of the snow. Compared to where I live there is very, very little snow and no way the hoarding could not have been accessed.

Now it's a good job I'm not inclined towards criminal damage.

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Advertisers tell lies
But hey, what's new?

damn, I went out in town with a massive black market pen last night but couldn't find a single poster that I disapproved of

Well at least now I can legitimately take action rather than being offended by proxy MP

Illicit pens now, mp? I'm ashamed of you.

Having read all the threads today, and contributed a shit limerick, I'm of the view that (Beta) can decide what to write themselves. They have clearly been reading everything here, and so it will be very interesting to see what they decide to write, to put up in place of the offending ad.

They are not stupid, to be charitable, said through gritted teeth, and must realise by now what our thoughts and feelings are re sexist advertising.

And then the £1000 can be donated to one of the charities that has been nominated here.

And then we can do one of these:

--------------

And revert back to talking about bumsex and muffins.

I feel a limerick coming on, I really do.....

I started wodnering if I could make some sort of long aerosol holder with a trigger, but I couldn't think how to do it...

Hope it's better than my feeble effort!

I mean do Proper Defacers run about with ladders? Doesn't that make their intentions rather plain to see?

Balloons filled with coloured paint have been suggested elsewhere.

BIWI I liked your limerick. I now feel offended