Writin' Dirty (J424 #5)

The song “Ridin' (Dirty)" by Chamillionaire may give Generation Y middle school flashbacks of grillz, Weird Al Yankovitz’s parody (“White and Nerdy”), and latent-‘90s tracksuit combos as featured in the video.

Perhaps we should change the lyrics to “Writin’ Dirty” for a series of unfortunate advertisements New Adventure Travel, a Wales-based (Cardiff Bay, more specifically) bus company, debuted. Recently, the private bus company hosted advertisements that featured topless women (and one man) holding a sign that read, "ride me all day for just £3" (Boyle).

The ads immediately created a negative buzz and the bus company responded by removing them from its vehicles. The company also issued a statement that apologized for its less-than-appropriate ads, saying its main goal was to appeal to younger bus-goers and that it had no intention of stepping on toes (Boyle).

Many people used social media as their main tool to bring this issue to the company’s attention—with celebrities such as Charlotte Church tweeting: “Hey @NAT_Group THIS IS ABHORRENT! You should remove these hugely offensive ads ASAP…Please complain and retweet” (Warren). Others remarked that the ‘tongue and cheek’ argument New Adventure Travel made was a weak excuse for something that was “Just plain offensive” to many (Warren).

The campaign comes at a time where the world is grappling with eliminating rape culture and sexism. Those who saw the ad in person or shared it via social media obviously did not take kindly to the company, which stated, “There has certainly been no intention to objectify either men or women” (Boyle).

How can advertisers use cutting-edge or over-the-line humor without being offensive? By knowing their audience and remaining mindful of possible implications ads can have—despite the intention behind them. As a future producer of ads, I hope to never be involved in a controversy like this, not because I won’t make mistakes (everyone does, New Adventure Travel), but because I will take the extra time to create responsibly and clean up my writing.

Some Sources:

Boyle, Danny. "'Ride me all day for just £3' bus advert with picture of topless woman sparks outrage." The Telegraph [London , 11 May 2015: Web. 11 May 2015. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/11597104/Ride-me-all-day-for-just-3-bus-advert-with-picture-of-topless-woman-sparks-outrage.html>.

Warren, Rossalyn. "A Bus Advert Featuring Topless Women Saying “Ride Me All Day” Is Being Removed." BuzzFeed. 11 May 2015. Web. 11 May 2015. <http://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/a-bus-advert-featuring-a-topless-women-saying-ride-me-all-da>.