Ford India went into full apology mode this weekend after a series of mock-up ads featuring bound and gagged women were published on the site Ads of the World. The images have since been removed, but have been republished on many sites including Slate, Fox News, and the Huffington Post.
While it should be noted these ads were never officially printed anywhere, it’s unclear why anyone at JWT India, the agency that created the images, thought the ad pictured above featuring a leering Silvio Berlusconi driving off with a trunk full of scantily clad women would be a good image to associate with the Indian-manufactured Ford Figo. The other mock-ups featured Paris Hilton winking as she kidnaps the Kardashian sisters and racecar driver Michael Schumacher leading rivals Sebastian Vettel, Fernando Alonso, and Lewis Hamilton away.
Business Insider reports the ads were created by a “a young creative team” at JWT India and that a team member posted the ads online without official approval. (As an aside, who wants to bet that there are no women on this young creative team? JWT is based in Delhi, so it’s hard to imagine these young ad executives have not been following the news lately.)
As for Ford itself, the company released a statement to Business Insider stating in part, “We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened. The posters are contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford and our agency partners.”
Interesting contrast between how this has been reported in the Indian marketing press versus Western advertising press.
From CampaignIndia:
“JWT India’s national creative director and managing partner Bobby Pawar has resigned following the uproar over ‘sexist’ scam ads created for the Ford Figo without client approval, uploaded online, and entered into the Creative Abby competition at Goafest 2013.
The print ads (posters) depicted international celebrities including former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in bad light, leading to global attention and criticism that the ads were sexist in nature.”
http://www.campaignindia.in/Article/338092,bobby-pawar-exits-jwt-india-over-8216sexist8217-ford-scam-episode.aspx
From AdAge:
“JWT India entered the now-infamous Ford Figo poster ads in India’s leading Goafest Abby ad awards, and tried to withdraw them last Friday in the middle of the judging after controversy erupted outside India over the sexually offensive ads.
The posters, showing women bound and gagged in the trunk of a Ford Figo hatchback, drew international condemnation when they were uploaded to the website Ads of the World, and both JWT and Ford quickly apologized. Neither mentioned that the ads, including a letter of approval from the client, had been entered at Goafest by a senior JWT India executive.”
http://adage.com/article/global-news/jwt-entered-sexually-offensive-ford-ads-india-awards-show/240562/