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.

NICE one!

It is a positive thing to see organisations publicly taking a stand on this issue. I wasn't sure if we would... I knew that some may quietly question whether to work with Beta again but to declare the working relationship with OAA terminated solely because of this campaign is a bold and commendable move.

WOW. Bad for business indeed.

Transport Media - I think this may mean that TM is withdrawing from membership of the OAA, not entirely clear, but anyway as Wilfsell says, I'll have some of that please.

One other piece of news is that between Monday evening and tonight the (I think) JCDecaux-owned career women billboard nearest my house has come down and been replaced by an entirely different piece of advertising. Thanks JCD - that's great!

I once met Jean-Luc Decaux of the Decaux empire

I said "Ooh! Jean Luc! Like Picard!"

He said: ""

Respect to Transport Media!!! Every para of that story is fabulous but I loved these two:

"John Kehoe, client services director and Laura Rigby, customer account manager sent the OAA a resignation letter, stating: ?It is strongly felt that the campaign by the OAA has set back women?s hard work as being equal to men in the work place and obtaining successful careers whilst raising children. Females we have spoken to are extremely angry about the stupidity and lack of thought behind the campaign, the idea of being bombarded with taxis, posters and buses carrying the campaign on the way to the work place after dropping your offspring at school or nursery is not only upsetting and insensitive it is infuriatingly sexist. ?

It adds: ?How this detrimental campaign could be given the green light in this day and age is utterly absurd. The decision made by the OAA to run with this campaign has caused so much offence to the men and women of Transport Media that after the many heated staff discussions the MD has made a clear firm stand and decided to pull away from the OAA and its logo. The campaign is not only irresponsible but can only be seen to have a negative impact on the world of outdoor advertising.? "

A real vindication to all those on blogs who claimed this was anti-free speech - it was just bad and stupid advertising.

Oooh I am all . Off tomorrow to check on 'my' billboard and whether it is still up

'Career women make brilliant mothers'??? WTF? Smacks of utter political-correctness in its worst form. A bit craven and a knee jerk response which is a particularly weak piece of advertising. Anyone who believes this will barely notice it as it accords with their set of beliefs and those who don't, won't be persuaded by it.

Of course, some career women make brilliant mothers (and they've been loudly protesting their brilliant-ness here recently) and some don't. Just as some SAHM are brilliant mothers and some aren't.

How about 'Stay at home mothers make brilliant mothers'? Oooh, and can we have 'Brilliant mothers make brilliant mothers' while we're at it, please?

Oh it's fine GEM

They aren't a creative agency FFS, they place ads in taxis

I think it's fine, anyway

Bit illiterate that story, though.

Further update: I had a meeting with Refuge yesterday (to see how Mumsnet can work with them). They are v grateful and happy about the £1000 donation, but have not yet been contacted by (Beta) about it. I'll ask them again in a week.

Did you know that one-third of all local authorities make no provision at all for women escaping domestic violence?

Policygarry - interested to hear Beta haven't yet been in touch with Refuge. Do keep us posted on this, won't you! Hopefully this is because they are busy getting registered for corporate giving tax breaks before they do it

I really liked Transport Media's letter, I must say! I thought it sounded honest, IYKWIM.

Oh yes, and what I also liked about the letter was that it was from a male and a female member of staff.

Media Monkey, are you reading? Hope so!

Yes do keep us updated re: donation to Refuge. Policygarry

I just had a quick look on the BrandRepublic website. Click here for its summary of Beta's apology etc (health warning - have a nice calming cup of tea first)

www.brandrepublic.com/News/977089/Beta-suggests-alternative-poster-calm-sexism-row/?DCMP=ILC-SEARCH

Two important points:

1. Beta hopes to persuade the OAA to run its new ad on digital sites (ie this had not been agreed at the time of going to press)
2. £1000 has been donated to Refuge - well, apparently not, as of yesterday (see PolicyGarry's earlier post)

The comments are quite entertaining BTW

So I have been in correspondence with the ASA: to quote

"Dear Ms WIOAIG,

Further to our telephone conversation just now I have spoken to my manager and also with the advertiser.

I can clarify again that the advertiser instructed the media owners to pull the ad immediately from all sites on the 6th January. There were approximately 11,000 ads that appeared nationwide and the weather has been a major factor with regards to the speed at which this has been carried out. That said, it has been the advertisers understanding that the ads would have been removed by now at least. Obviously this has not been the case with the ad near you so I would ask that you provide me with the location and name of the media owner so that the advertiser can follow this up directly.

In the meantime the advertiser is forwarding my email on to all the media owners.

Many thanks,

Niceman at the ASA"

So I have checked 'my' billboard and IT IS STILL F'ING THERE. The media site owner is Primesight. I have let the ASA know this and am now going to google primesight. I have asked the ASA to reinstate the complaint as I believe the apology has been invalidated and action needs to be taken.

Have spoken to the OAA and to Primesight, and mailed Primesight Chief Executive, copying the OAA and the ASA, asking him to take it down. This is beyond a joke.

Brilliant WorkingItOut - at this rate there will soon be a league table of billboard firms, ranked on how seriously they take their customers' views

I've read online that Primesight the owner of your board WorkinItOut is one of the 'elite' oaa members who are on the oaa council and signed off beta's campaign slogan. Apparently Transport Media (who have left oaa in protest at the campaign) were not on that council so didn't have a chance to have input into the slogan.

The oaa council members who apparently (according to some comments elsewhere)signed off the ad slogan are CBS Outdoor Limited, JCDecaux UK Limited, Primesight Ltd, Titan Outdoor Advertising Ltd

SnowWorm - where did you read this???

Only in a comment on the Media Week news story about TM's resignation from OAA.

The identity of the Council members is easily confirmed on oaa website, but the claim that they were the ones who signed off the campaign is only in that comment. It sounds entirely plausibe, though, and makes sense of TM's resignation.

Ah OK!

Walked into the pub toilets at lunchtime today and was confronted by the Career Women poster. I thought it was being removed.