The outdoor industry doesn’t need to be offensive to get noticed
The UK’s outdoor marketing body, the Outdoor Advertising Association, has launched an interesting new campaign this week, telling the public that “Career Women Make Bad Mothers”. 
This is the copy on one of its ads created to as part of its latest push to promote outdoor as an effective advertising medium.
It’s launched the ads across bus, over 11,000 billboard and poster sites nationwide. Apart from the “Career women make bad mothers” execution, there’s also “1966- It won’t happen this year” in a reference to Britain’s chances of winning the World Cup again this year.
When people see the ads and go onto the website Britainthinks.com, they’re told the site “is an independent space where the opinions of the British public can be publicly expressed”.
Of course the Average Joe on the street have no idea that this is actually a clever ploy by the OAA to prove the strength of outdoor as a direct response medium that can drive people online.
But does the OAA need to belittle the issue of how some women find it challenging juggling a career and motherhood at the same time? And once people find out that the real motivation behind the campaign is to fill up the coffers of outdoor media companies will they not think that this Britianthinks online community is just a tad disingenuous?
Now, you may be thinking about SBS’s campaign to support the premier of US drama Mad Men on Australian TV. Razor and US created a fake cookware brand called Madison Cookware. Consumers were subjected to TV, print and radio ads for the brand which carried lines such as: “The only thing that cooks better … is a woman!”.
But when consumers went onto the company’s website – no doubt to complain about their offensive advertising – they realised that it was simply a tactic to promote Mad Men – a drama about the misogynistic and sexist advertising world of the smooth talking ad men on Madison Avenue during the 1960s.
Okay, that was a good campaign. It stemmed from good strategy with a sound understanding of the brand.
But the OAA picking on career women just to get its ads noticed? As one poster on the media and marketing website Brand Republic put it, maybe it’s actually the controversy and not outdoor media that has driven response.
UPDATE:
Since writing this piece the OAA has been forced to pull its ad containing the copy “Career women make bad mothers”, following a backlash from working mothers. Mission accomplished OAA? More like lesson learnt.
Camille Alarcon
Linkedin
I just used my old London postcode to vote in the 1966 – it won’t happen this year poll – there are a total of 79 votes when football mad England is snowed under and folks are stuck indoors – not a great advert for outdoor advertising at that rate
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I would bet that only “career mothers” would take offence to that campaign.
However, that segment is a rapidly growing and influential one.
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agree with Drew. Another example of stupid, myopic ad people having no PR sensibility
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That ad would have been equally as offensive – and noticeably so – if it had been placed in a magazine, on a website or on television. Doesn’t prove that outdoor works comparatively.
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Has anyone proved the claim is false yet?
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Yes Al, I have!
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Sorry Marina, I have to disagree. It wouldn’t be quite as offensive if it had been in a magazine, website or on TV because only the people reading that particular magazine, watching those particular TV shows and visiting that particular website would be exposed to it. Every single person who lives in, visits or passes by that area would’ve seen the billboard. The subject of the message (in this case, working mothers) would be MORE likely to be offended by outdoor simply because everyone can read it and be exposed to the message than if it had simply been in Woman’s Day. It’s the universality of the outdoor medium exposure that makes it so powerful. At least that’s what OAA are trying to say 🙂
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Oh thank god, for a second I thought you were disagreeing with my assertion that I’m not a bad mother!
As a career mother (and a really good one,obviously) I have to disagree with you. I would definitely find that ad offensive in any medium. Most career women have the confidence to be offended due to conflict with their own belief system rather than what others think.
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As someone for whom the career/motherhood choice is a pertinent issue in my personal life at the moment, I agree wholeheartedly that the message is offensive in any medium. I was just referring to degree to which I would believe its communication to be inappropriate… What I mean is, I would disagree with the person saying it no matter what. But I would disagree with their decision to put it out there more or less depending on where it had been put.
Again, our discussion is further proving the point that OAA have really screwed up her. This slogan isn’t the best way of proving the comparative difference between outdoor and other mediums, simply BECAUSE it’s always going to be an offensive message!
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It’s offline trolling.
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