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 just wrote a long message on the other thread which I won't bore you with by reposting here, but in summary, as someone who is a communications professional, my experience has always been that swift, complete apologies are the best way to defuse this type of situation. The OAA have understood this and have resolved the situation instantly by their approach. Well done to them.

I am surprised that other parties to this debate are not taking the same sensible approach. (Reckon I can say that without being libellous, right?). Can I also say the words 'toys' 'pram' and 'out of' or is that too risky?

Oh and MrsB, I had written to Council Members of the OAA and have written back to them to thank for the swift resolution, so you can add that to your list of damage limitation actions.

workingitoutasIgo - this is great

OAA, while we commend your swift decision to pull the offending slogan, posting here about the 'question posed' is not entirely accurate. The slogan was presented as a statement, identifiable as such by the presence of a full stop as opposed to a question mark.

Will the OAA be reviewing its relationship with Beta as a result of this campaign? £1.25m is an awful lot of money to spend on damaging your reputation. I can't imagine that's something you'll want to repeat.

OAA might you suggest to HWCNBN that he should stop this silly libel business as he is just adding fuel to the fire which is burning both of you.

Hell hath no fury..... you might not want to fan its flames.

Finally this makes Discussion of the Day!

OAA, when you say you want to make clear that the "career women make bad mothers" slogan did not represent the views of the advertisers, I hope you don't mean Beta, because it could very easily be interpreted from their blog that in fact it is their view... I quote directly:

"I was talking to a child psychologist the other day. They said that any parent who spends more than 55 hours a week at work including travelling time is probably a bad parent.

Doesn't matter what sex you are."

While attempting to backtrack against mothers, Beta have very openly stated here that it in fact is their viewpoint that having a career = bad parent, and have attempted to back up their statement with reference to a child psychologist.

OAA, I ask again, are you going to terminate your relationship with Beta?

Fantastic, was very surprised. Big round of applause for MrsB and everyone else who supplied contact details and links.

Sorry, just realised forgot the traditional greeting.

OAA, welcome to Mumsnet!

I find it fairly offensive actually that the reason this has been pulled is not because the statement was offensive to all women but because it was highlighted on an influential womens website.

That shows me that there is no real understanding of what was so wrong about the ad, more a pr exercise to save their own skins.

I am a working mum, I am not a bad parent, in fact I am a very good parent, both my children are happy and well settled. I have fought tooth and nail though, to get a decent career and to get as much equality as I can within that career. Which is no mean feat when you work in a techy industry such as mine.
The ad only served to give many misogynistic members of my industry yet another reason to attempt to sneer at working mothers.

You see the problem with the ad is that it is aimed at people who are rushing about, will see a very quick snapshot and take that as fact.
It will sit in the subconcious and fester for those who are either too narrow minded or too biased to apply subjective thought to the statement in the first place.

great - i was really offended by that ad when i saw it. Just what working mothers need!

The other thing about the ad is that, even once it has been taken down, women will subconsciously think:
Last time I saw that bus shelter, it contained an ad which personally attacked me and made me angry all day long.
Now that bus shelter wants me to buy perfume/ washing up liquid/ gas/ whatever.
Well, fuck those ads and the pig they rode in on. Outdoor advertising isn't on my side, it just makes me angry.

Done your job OAA?
Still claiming I "misunderstood" you?
Pah.

and will still be making a complaint too.

Even yesterday, Beta have stated their case with regards to this issue. This was posted by Robert Campbell of the BritainThinks campaign (read Beta, he is one of the founders)

"Good parenting is about love and support and understanding. And a load of other things. But its also about being there. I try to spend time with my children every morning and evening. But its hard to balance work and life. The 55 hour rule is just a handy reminder. Secretly I think a lot of people with careers know that it affects their relationship with their children. We just don't like to admit it"

So, they were expressing an opinion.

I wonder if they able to back up this claim, or whether a nameless 'Child Psychologist' is it. As I said on the other thread (probably deleted) there is no such thing as a Child Psychologist (unless you got your qualifications from one of those adverts on t'telly) and give us EVIDENCE, not just anecdotal evidence. That statement is utter rubbish, and is nowhere near being a fact.

But, OAA, there is clear evidence that Beta were not simply trying to get a debate started, they were indeed expressing their opinion.

Erm...so they didn't realise this could conceivably cause offence?

Now it's 'oops sorry, we'll take it down'.

In the meantime this whole debate is making the newspapers.

Job done, jolly good.

Keep going for the easy targets won't you?

I have written to Bill. Thank you for providing his email address. Very useful.

Fantastic news that the ad has been pulled. Unfortunate that the OAA feel that we 'misunderstood' the purpose of the advertisement or that we though these were actually 'their' views. We understood perfectly well that the advertisement and slogan was intended to cause shock, offence and outrage and to provoke people to visit their website to defend themselves. A website which was set up to prove to power of outdoor advertising and whose hit count will be used in sales pitches for future clients. What we opposed what that a professional organisation felt that a crass an insensitive statement causing offence to a large number of people for the sake of 'debate' on their sales-tool site was well-judged. It was not.

Well done to Mumsnetters for the outcome though!

If Robert Campbell from Beta thinks that "Secretly I think a lot of people with careers know that it affects their relationship with their children. We just don't like to admit it" then why does their ad not say "Career people make bad parents". Why only pick on the female half of the equation, Robert? Of course, he does also say "I try to spend time with my children every morning and evening". Oh well, that's fine then Robert, that's you off the hook - not good enough for the "career woman" but absolutely fine for the "career father"!

Good result !

Sadly though I can just see the OAA at their (imagined) friday weekly catch up slyly patting each other on the back for proving just how big an impact outdoor advertising can have....

mrsbaldwin for prime minister!

WELL DONE to you and other campaigners!

Its still on a bill board here - I drive past it on my way to work

Thank you and well done Mrs Baldwin. I could witter about freedom of speech verses the right to not have to live with judgemental arrogant idiots but I won't.

I am stupidly, childishly proud of being quoted in the Guardian!!!! The ultimate irony of course, I can't tell anyone because then I'll have to name change, I talk about a lot here - life, love, parenting, weaknesses. I may never have won an MN competition or managed quote of the week but I am a rare MNer - I was quoted accurately!

It's a shame because there could have been a reasonable discussion about how bloody hard it is to need to work and raise your child but instead now there is lots of judgemental and stereotypical rubbish. Meanwhile I worked long hours today as senior colleagues off and my 3yo cuddled me on the bus home. It will always be such a mixture and I am glad to be in such good and honest company here.