Uh oh. Ford Motor Co. has landed themselves in the worst possible situation.
After series of ads were released to Ads of the World by its global ad agency WPP, critics have jumped in to declare the campaign offensive and misogynistic. In one of the three images, a cartoon depicting Paris Hilton winks from behind the wheel of a Ford Figo with three Kardashian sisters tied up in the cargo compartment of the hatchback. The tagline of the ad reads. “Leave your worries behind with Figo’s extra-large boot”:
Note: Paris Hilton and the Kardashians are famous archenemies.
The Paris Kardashian-themed poster also appeared alongside one that featured F1 driving champ Michael Schumacher behind the wheel. In that version, his long-time racing rivals, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, and Fernando Alonso, are tied up:
Sure, the ads were never used in paid media, but that hasn’t stopped Ford Motor Co. from taking the heat. They have since been forced to apologize for the ads that were created by JWT India:
We deeply regret the publishing of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within WPP Group. These were never intended for paid publication and should never have been created, let alone uploaded to the internet.
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.
Hmm. What do you guys think? Lightly humorous or straight up offensive as heck?
(Source)