Ultratune to appeal after ‘bimbo’ train crossing ad is banned for being ‘disrespectful’ to women
A controversial ad for Ultratune showing two women dressed in short skirts and revealing tops almost getting hit by a train on a level crossing has been banned for vilifying women.
However, the car repair chain says it intends to seek an “independent review” of the decision to ban the ad from the internet and TV by the Ad Standards Board.
The ad shows two women dressed in short skirts and high heels listening to music in a convertible, before driving on to train tracks and getting stuck on the level crossing. The final shot shows the pair walking away as the train hits the car and there is an explosion.
1974.
Tackiness aside, this is a terrible ad. Also had a chuckle at the “female empowerment” quote. That’s clutching at straws a little guys..
How embarrassing, and super sexist
Sorry – are they actually women?
An awful ad and a blatant and clumsy attempt to create controversy. Classy.
Leaving the gender stereotyping issues aside (and let’s face it, there are innumerable ‘mere male’ ads out there), it’s just a bad ad – encouraging people to get their cars serviced because they may be stranded at a level crossing is idiotic at best. The agency could have come up with better suggestions than that.
As to the female empowerment comment – well that just beggars belief. A car is stranded on a level crossing with a train bearing down. Chicks get out of the car to avoid being hit by train. Car completely totaled. Yeah. Soooo empowering.
Dead right Pepsi. Appalling, advertising from a good business.
Let’s hope the same complainants have a little whiny moment every time they see one of the many TVCs that show a man as an idiot (and often with the woman as the clichéd calm and sensible one). But they probably don’t.
At least this TVC doesn’t pretend to be anything but an analogy – i.e. don’t look after your car, suffer the consequences. The dribble affecting our TV screens depicting men doing moronic things is just as offensive, in this case to our intelligence.
Just don’t ever use ultratune. it’s the only way people get it. through hip pocket. Dumb owner. bad ad. So many things wrong here. wake up….Happy to sit with Sean Buckley to explain where this goes wrong..first and foremost messing with your key customers.
It was a bloody good ad. What’s wrong with being a sex object? It’s otherwise known as attraction between the sexes — however many there are … The ad succinctly sold the product with good fun. Have all these PC people lost their sense of humour? If your daughter is a bimbo this ad could save her life.
Well, this is just hideous. I’ve disliked ads of theirs in the past, too. Is this how men see women? Pathetic.
What do you expect from kwp! Dumb ad.
For those that don’t know Sean Buckley is engaged to one of the girls in the add & is the marketing genius behind this add caimpaign,Pitty he won’t listen to the public or his franchisees about how wrong these adds are
Come on ! There are two women depicted in bimbo dress, they drive into trouble they cant get out of (NB it is the blonde driving) and they don’t even know to switch out the head lights before attempting to draw hundreds of amps from a low battery by operating the starter motor.
this is, if at all, only slightly better than another of their ads which depicts the same blonde driver, foolishly engaging drive instead of reverse, and driving over a cliff!
Not to worry, they are saved at the last minute by a guy in a helicopter.
How do these mindless scenarios promote anything, let alone the advancement of women.
Big waste of franchisee money. I’d be upset if I co-funded this.
So why can’t bimbos be portrayed in adverts? It’s not like they don’t exist in the real world. Who is sticking up for bimbos here? This whining has got to stop!
@GG
Bimbos can, and should be portrayed in adverts, in any form of theatrical fiction as character material, but here the women were portrayed, and in fact indicated, as women of substance who were being promoted in status by the efforts of the client/product. So long as women in general are being portrayed a idiots, then far from the whining having to stop, it should in fact intensify.
Question: Where was even one male idiot portrayed in these commercials?