A two-week ‘Britain Thinks’ ad campaign, led by UK’s Outdoor Advertising Association has daringly put up controversial messages on buses, billboards and posters across the country. Some of the messages include “Career women make bad mothers” and “1966. It won’t happen this year”, referring to England’s chance of winning the world cup in South Africa this year.
These messages aim to convert traffic to its microsite , Britainthinks.com, a place for the British public to rant, share and comment on issues.
According to Alan James, the chief executive of the OAA, this campaign is out to prove that outdoor advertising has the ability to drive people online. I must say it is a pretty creative effort by Garry Lace and Robert Campbell’s agency, Beta.
Via brandrepublic
Update
Ha! OAA has proven that outdoor advertising is indeed able to generate a response from audiences. However, I am not too sure if it’s the way they expected. It is withdrawing the controversial billboard ad that read “Career women make bad mothers” in reaction to a hullabaloo from working mothers.
An influential forum, Mumsnet has witnessed many of its members’ discontentment, and even anger with the billboard.
A member wrote:
“WTF is a “career” woman?
As far as I can see it’s a pejorative term in itself that sneers at women’s aspirations to have interesting jobs that matter to them, whether or not they have children.
I’ve never heard of a “career man” so I don’t recognise the existence of the “career woman”, the whole notion is insulting and demeaning.”
Justine Roberts, co-founder and managing director of Mumsnet, said:
“Mumsnetters thought the campaign to be ill-conceived, crass and stupid and the reaction on Mumsnet was a mixture of annoyance, contempt and despair in fairly equal measure.”
Response from the strategy head of Beta, Sharon Johnson:
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