Associated Press - March 25, 2013
MUMBAI, India — The Indian unit of Ford Motor Co. has
apologized for 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.
A Ford India spokeswoman said Monday that the company is
investigating whether anyone at the automaker ever saw the print ads, which
were never used commercially but appeared over the weekend on a website
showcasing creative advertising.
The ads caused an uproar online
and came just after India passed a new law on violence against women following
a fatal gang rape of a student on a bus that prompted mass protests and
spotlighted the status of women in India.
Featuring Ford’s logo, one ad
showed three women bound and gagged in the trunk of an Indian-made compact, the
Ford Figo, with Berlusconi smiling from the driver’s seat alongside the slogan
“Leave your worries behind with the Figo’s extra-large boot.”
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.
Ford said Monday that it regrets
the incident, calling the images “contrary to the standards of professionalism
and decency within Ford.”
The ads were created at
advertising agency JWT India and appeared on the website adsoftheworld.com late
Friday.
“Ford India Needs to Fire Its
Advertising Execs,” read a headline on a slate.com blog while Indians on
Twitter reacted with posts like “Disgusting!” and “SHAME.”
It was unclear Monday whether
anyone at Ford India had approved or seen the ads.
“We take this very seriously and
are reviewing approval and oversight processes, and taking necessary steps to
ensure nothing like this ever happens again,” Ford spokeswoman Sethi Deepti
said by email.
JWT advertising’s parent company,
the British advertising and public relations giant WPP Group, also condemned
the ads.
“We deeply regret the publishing
of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of
professionalism and decency within WPP Group,” a company statement said.
“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
and appropriate actions have been taken within the agency where they work to
deal with the situation.”