racing to the red light

Earlier this week, we received an industry newsletter with a bit about an ad campaign gone awry in Ford’s foreign operations.

We have to say, while certainly tasteless, the Berlusconi one is dead-on; they probably could have substituted the now-infamous Domimique Strauss-Kahn in his place, just as well.

Some choice quotes from the article:

The company this week apologized for the advertisements, decried as demeaning to women, including one depicting Italy’s former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi with a trio of bound women in the trunk of a car.

Similar ads featured Paris Hilton apparently kidnapping reality television rivals the Kardashian sisters — all three sisters tied up and one in a bikini — and Formula One driver Michael Schumacher abducting his male racing competition

Ad firm JWT India fired several employees over the incident, and apologized saying that the ads were neither requested by Ford, nor intended for “paid publication” but rather were “part of a creative exercise”.