There is something very wrong with this Agent Provocateur advert

[Ifancyanewname]

www.agentprovocateur.com/soiree-video.html?theme=soireegold

Just seen this and its made me feel very uncomfortable, what do you think?

Awful! The clothes look terrible, the ad if horrible. I had the sound turned down and turned it up just as there was that loud explosion sound at the start of the ad! I just jumped right out of my skin. The women do all look like manachins and so fake. This is less of an ad and more of a sad 'fantasy'!

How exactly did you 'just see 'this advert,if you were not already on the AP site? did it randomly jump onto your screen? If it had been directed by Justine instead of Justin would it have made you feel any different?

I have bought their underwear before now. it's quite good. I have gone to their site to watch videso before. Why shouldn't a woman have come across it? It is not at all sexy and as I never even watrch horror films it's the sort of thing which makes me stop watching right away so I would imagine if other people have the same reaction it was an appropriate thread to start particularly as it suggests women being violent to women.

Apparently this nastiness has been unbanned and passed for display...

That just shit me up!

Is it bad that when I first saw them I thought "shit! Zombies"

Well, it's done it's job hasn't it? All publicity is good publicity and lots of people are talking about the ad. It's as much about raising brand awareness as actually selling pants, if not more so, and shock and sexual violence is always going to get people talking. And we're sitting here helping them with it.

Don't think much of their knickers though - there's not exactly much of them and TBH I've seen better quality in Asda in the dishrag section. Bras look slightly uncomfortable too. Think I'll give 'em a miss.

I'm always baffled by the 'all publicity is good' trope. It makes no sense in the way I make shopping decisions. I have a shit list of places I will never buy from. I have places I will. This is based on views I have about those places from things including advertising and what I've heard about them. Am I unique in this? Does everyone else go round saying 'oh yes I've heard of them' and the wander in . Even if it's not conscious surely people have good or bad feelings about brands based on the same kind of stuff.

I agree with Alice too. Overpriced pants aren't on my shopping list anyway, but if they were, I would be looking for another supplier after seeing that creepy ad.

WTF?! I shat myself! Bizarre.

I thought it was a nice touch having one of the models drinking water out of a dog bowl on the floor . Have to ensure we know our place eh?

Gah and I hate to say it, but it's written and directed by a man. For this empowering female underwear apparently.

Horrid piece of shit.

I think there probably is some truth in the idea that brand awareness in itself is worthwhile - I think I have heard that you're more likely to go with a brand you've heard of than an unfamiliar one even if you don't remember anything about it beyond the name. But I'm not sure what the ad achieves because surely we've all heard of Agent Provocateur anyway - it's not like it's a new brand trying to make a splash - and I used to have better associations with it than I've now got as a result of this vile womanhating ad. So while it might increase the number of people that have heard of the brand, I would have thought there would be a risk it would undermine many existing relationships with the brand. I don't know anyone that's seen the ad and not put it onto their shitlist as a result, even people who don't self-define as feminists.

I did complain to the ASA about it but got a response last week rejecting my complaint....its artistic apparently.......