Woolworths apologises for Michelle Bridges ‘soil eating’ video, saying ‘intention was never to upset anyone’
Supermarket chain Woolworths has apologised to its customers over a video featuring celebrity training Michelle Bridges eating soil sparked social media from consumers, who were upset by the suggestion that people who grow their own fruit and vegetables are “freaks”.
In a post on their Facebook page, the supermarket giant said: “We’ve listened to your feedback about the latest Michelle Bridges video and have removed it. Our intention was never to upset anyone.”
“As the fresh food people we know how passionate our customers are about fresh food. We share their passion and want everyone to eat healthily whether they grow their own or choose healthy foods from our supermarkets,” the statement said.
From the fresh food people. You couldn’t make this stuff up.
Is there no on in the office capable of putting their hand up and saying:
“Um guys….I think this might be a bad idea. It could backfire on us”.
The mind boggles. Surely someone has the courage to point out the emporer has no clothes *before* you go public.
Please. Anyone in, or even remotely related to the marketing function at Woolworths, fall on your sword immediately.
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaahhh….. “As the Fresh Food People” what is wrong with the people who run these companies? Instead of a genuine apology they release this contrived crap and force ways to get their tag lines in.
Fire whoever thought getting her to act was a smart idea.
We’re Woolworths, The Fresh Food Freaks.
Great ring to it.
The Fresh Food People are rotten to the core.
I often wonder about these people pledging never to shop with a supermarket again. What happens if they go to a country town, or are just out of nutmeg for a cake. Do they drive a further 10km to the next supermarket just to spite a marketing director whom has long since moved on to market a competing brand that this customer now loves.
What has this country come to? This is why our industry is so vanilla. If you’re worried about upsetting some overzealous letter writers then you’re not going to make something interesting or worth watching. I thought Michelle’s performance was good until the mandatory brand CTA ruined it all.
I am so sick of everyone being ‘offended’ by any new video or meme uploaded on to social media. #learntotakeajoke
@Pete Burge
I have no idea what you’re talking about. The soil video that was removed has nothing to do with doing edgy or interesting creative, or actor performance.
It’s about Woolworths totally contradicting their Fresh Food People positioning and the words on their logo. eg if you enjoy fresh food but you grow it yourself, you’re a freak.
Really? Are you OK with that?
On this occasion I have to say that the people who have ‘reacted angrily’ need to calm their farm. I’m vegetarian and grow my own herbs and a few veges. If I started writing letters every time someone made a poor joke at the expense of non-meat eaters (Sam Kekovich etc) I’d never leave the house. Seriously…the joke is lame but it’s not as if its racist or sexist or going to kill anyone.
Roll your eyes. Move on.
Paleo, do you not have a sense of humour?
she was EATING SOIL in the ad – and then she said “you dont have to be a freak” – dont know about you but if I saw someone eating soil I’d say “what a freak”
This isn’t just an isolated incident though Woolworths has been on a downward spiral for a while now and the disconnection between the people who run it and the general public is now glaringly obvious. Week after week there seems to be a new story about the poor business pratices of WW.
Any company that has contempt for it customer base deserves every bit of outrage.
(Also the people who swear to never shop there again are usually Astro turfing posts from rival PR companies.)
Hi @evan….
Can’t speak for the “never again” supermarket pledgers, but waaaaaaaay back in 1981 or 2, I was offended by a Philips ad, and wrote (pen and ink and an envelope and stamp) to tell em so.
Got a very schmarmy offensive letter back, basically telling me not to bother buying their products, wouldn’t worry them.
So I never have. Decades now of purchasing household consumer products: irons, light globes and white goods, whatever – if it’s Philips, I won’t buy it.
Ok, they are still a profitable global enterprise. Whoever wrote the letter back in the 80s is correct, they haven’t missed my coin.
But for me, when I said I’d never buy their products, I meant it.
Omg, worst ad ever! Who came up with that? How is that driving WW equity?
How did all involved not see how wrong it could all go? Ridiculous.
I’m sorry – but how do these silly people get jobs!
Even a blind person could see how wrong this is for their brand.
haahhaha
There may be a place to make a little fun about ‘hippies’ being ‘freaks’ in some other kind of ad campaign – but when you’re a struggling supermarket chain who labels themselves the ‘fresh food people’, making fun of people who actually grow and eat fresh food seems counterintuitive at best. And they didn’t just poke fun (but then still encourage the purchase of said fresh food), it’s to sell packaged rubbish. Bad, bad move at a time when eating bad food is on the verge of becoming socially unacceptable.
Appalling and completely contradictory to their brand values.
This could be the final nail in the Woolworths coffin.
I wonder if anyone commenting on this watched the add? It clearly comes across that eating soil is freaky! Not growing veg!! People just jumping on the band wagon!
I watched the ad and can’t believe it was pulled. Michelle “eating soil” was clearly poking fun at herself, not the home growers of vegetables. Bah humbug.
I must confess that up until reading this story I had never heard of Michelle Bridges, and I still have only a hazy idea of who she is or why her life might be considered perfect. Is she perhaps a female incarnation of the Buddha?
The Fresh Food people are promoting frozen food that obviously isn’t fresh. Woolworths would be better off not advertising at all or just resorting back to the trustworthy tactical days. Price, after all – is still king. Walk into any Woolworths right now and you’ll see they are already discounting like crazy. They just can’t bring themselves to admit it through ads.
I laughed when I saw the ad and I grow my own kumquats. I don’t eat soil as it tastes too earthy. But my local Woolies sells soil for pot plants out the front of the store. I am now suspicious of people who buy this soil. Are they eating it? If so, and i am sorry everyone, then they are freaks. Freaks!
Clearly intentional by marketing dept to get millions viewing the ad. Shameful and successful. At there level they don’t make mistakes only calculated risks
Seriously people, lighten up. It’s funny. I grow my own herbs & veggies & I thought this was brilliant. No sense of humour will kill you quicker than a doughnut. Lol!
I understand the point in the ad that people are time poor and don’t have time to know where their food comes from or be able to prepare meals from fresh food… Fair enough. I get that.
but then to go on about “acting like a freak” by growing their own food?? Huh? What’s the connection? It’s like they took a handful of unrelated ideas from a brainstorming session and just threw them together into one ad.
So I’m not offended by the ad. I just don’t think it portrays a clear message… and not a believable one. Mind you, I’d never buy a product with Michelle Bridges name on it anyway, let alone pre-packaged frozen “food”.
When will Woolworths get something right?
Their management at all levels is dreadful with a list of convictions as long as the queue of people doing their dough on Woolies’ shares.
A once proud company in more than decline…it’s free-fall.
Last straw Woolies. Avoiding you forever will be tough, but I’m now committed. F* you for calling me and everyone I know who gardens to put fresh food on their table a freak. Didn’t expect anything better from Michelle Bridges. Definitely expected better of you. Does Jamie Oliver know about this campaign? Can’t see how his ethics could allow him to support you anymore. I’ll be emailing this to him, you can be sure. Everyone who cares should.
You really couldn’t write this stuff.
“The fresh food people” attacking people who actually eat fresh food as “Freaks”.
No doubt it’s a bit of a storm in a teacup however I really wonder how this was approved.
For all those wondering. ‘The Perfect Life’ was the name of Mr Chow’s speedboat in The Hangover II:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zFj7qaRWJ8
Apologies for the ad at the start. At least it will be targeted!
Every element of this campaign is awful. Strategy, planning,execution and sorry to say even the talent. Just a plain old bad idea. The good news is, it won’t last. One down already, ‘Time to get real’ will be gone soon too.
This whole thing has just proved that people who grow their own vegetables really ARE sensitive little freakozoids
For a brand that is already suffering and in desperate need of an improvement, to run a campaign like this, is simply awful. You can’t go out and try take-the-piss with a brand that doesn’t have loyalty or trust at the moment.
They should be running campaigns to regain trust and show authenticity in order to rebuild the reputation, rather than alienating itself even further producing dribble like this. All this campaign resulted in was a big waste of time and money. You’d spend less money and be more relevant if you hired young grads to tell their Ad teams how they actually CAN attract and retain customers.
They did act fairly quickly in pulling it down, every cloud. Albeit that pulling ads seems to be a prerequisite for a lot of Woolies ads these days.
The whole ad was so over the top, it was actually pretty funny. It was much too silly (on purpose) to be taken seriously or be offended by.
I thought it was quite fun, and those claiming to be offended are really clutching at straws looking for new things to be offended by.
An ad with a sense of humour thwarted by a few dirt eating freaks.