Ford Motor's Indian unit has released an official apology for an unsavory ad campaign depicting former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi driving three bound, gagged and scantily clad women in the trunk.
The ad, an unofficial mock-up was leaked on the Internet, included the caption "Leave your worries behind with Figo's extra-large boot," which gave a sly nod to Berlusconi's notorious party-boy lifestyle. This particular drawing is one of a trio-the two others include Paris Hilton tying up the Kardashian sisters in a Figo boot, and Formula One racer Michael Schumacher and three rivals trapped in the trunk.
After Ford's advertising agency WPP allegedly put the mock-ups online, massive controversy ensued. India has recently experienced a few highly publicized gang rapes, according to the BBC. Women's rights groups have subsequently rallied and protested against the violence, and are angered and disappointed with the misogynistic nature of the drawings.
"This is a really perverse-looking campaign, especially with all the incidents against women in India," Deepesh Rathore, India-based managing director for HIS Automotive told Bloomberg. "The Internet has the power to make a stupid thing go viral and so companies to be very, very careful as such incidents can blemish your brand image."
Realizing their transgression, WPP Group said to Business Insider, "We deeply regret the publishing of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within WPP Group. These were never intended for paid publication and should never have been created, let alone uploaded to the Internet. This was the result of individuals acting without proper oversight."
Ford also issued a statement to BI, "We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened...Together with our partners, we are reviewing approval and oversight processes to help ensure nothing like this ever happens again."
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