Welsh bus company removes inappropriately sexualised ads amid public backlash
A Welsh bus company has come under fire for launching an allegedly 'sexist' ad campaign featuring males and females with the strap line 'Ride Me All Day For £3'.
Cardiff bus company New Adventure Travel's (NAT) campaign was first noticed by Twitter account @EverydaySexism which pointed out the ad for the wider public.
Hey @NAT_Group aren't half of your customers women? Have you thought this through? #EverydaySexism pic.twitter.com/i4qghEZFSh
— EverydaySexism (@EverydaySexism) May 11, 2015
Of course, the ad had a male counterpart.
Don't worry men, your bodies aren't immune from the sexualisation of @NAT_group either! Terrible marketing. pic.twitter.com/24KHF6LcIz
— Vicky Chandler (@VickyChandler) May 11, 2015
The company has issued an apology for the ad: “Firstly we have stated that our objectives have been to make catching the bus attractive to the younger generation. We therefore developed an internal advertising campaign featuring males and females to hold boards to promote the cost of our daily tickets.
“The slogan of ‘ride me all day for £3’ whilst being a little tongue in cheek was in no way intended to cause offence to either men or women and, if the advert has done so then we apologise unreservedly. There has certainly been no intention to objectify either men or women.”
The ads will be removed from the back of buses within the next 24 hours.