GrabTaxi sorry for 'Love Boobs? So does cancer' drive generating awareness for all the wrong reasons
GrabTaxi, an Asian ride-hailing app, has apologised for a heavy-handed attempt at tackling breast cancer.
A campaign that operated under the mantra "Love Boobs? So does cancer" invoked the ire of some social media users despite its generally agreeable objective of cutting out breast cancer deaths. A bold attempt at addressing the issue quickly went south with the laddish delivery of the content and the GrabTaxi branded hashtag #GrabitBeatIt.
The firm went all in with its approach, including discounts for women commuting to breast cancer screening sites, celebrity endorsements, a pink rebrand for its taxis and a t-shirt drive urging supporters to carry to tagline on their persons.
Spice up your wardrobe with our #GrabitBeatit t-shirt for RM30! Buy it via MyTeksi app now. http://t.co/arn4shX7uf pic.twitter.com/dGdh9fEASP
— MyTeksi (@myteksi) October 5, 2015
GrabTaxi offered timeless advice to women too: “Every month you do your nails, go to the hair salon or go shipping on your pay day. Why not add another item to that list, which is to examine your breasts?”
A video, by Grim Film, accompanying the campaign has been removed from YouTube with it catalysing many of the sexism accusations - see below.
It's still sexist, and it's wrong. Even the Hashtag #GrabItBeatIt itself is very very wrong. Who told them it's okay to do this ?
— syazwan (@SyazwanShahrul) October 7, 2015
#GrabItBeatIt is as dumb as #HoldACokeWithYourBoobsChallenge. Insensitivity towards breast cancer survivors.
— Maya Sahibi (@mayasahibi) October 7, 2015
#GrabitBeatit. Sigh. Bloody overconfident rookie copywriter.
— Winston Tay (@BlogfatherSG) October 9, 2015
When coming up with campaign names, I think it's only wise to check in with UrbanDictionary first. #GrabItBeatIt
— Eileen Kang (@iameileenkang) October 7, 2015
#GrabItBeatIt - wrong on so many levels. So many.
— Erin Lyon (@erin_csrasia) October 8, 2015
There is definitely a better way to communicate this campaign, #GrabitBeatit definitely not it. https://t.co/Yjrd6w4yVw
— Lynn Salleh (@lynnzieee) October 7, 2015
Oh my. #grabtaxi have shot themselves in the foot by attempting a silly #GrabItBeatIt campaign
— Sanjay Krishnan (@sanjay_krishnan) October 9, 2015
As a result, the firm very quickly issued on apology on Twitter.
We’re glad #GrabItBeatIt grabbed your attention. It's our campaign to raise awareness about breast cancer and breast health. 1/3
— MyTeksi (@myteksi) October 7, 2015
We wanted women to self-check as early detection saves http://t.co/TYkBvZCfdN must play their part to remind their loved ones to do so.2/3
— MyTeksi (@myteksi) October 7, 2015
We apologize if it offended you. Find out how to self-check here. http://t.co/5kgvzst8ns 3/3
— MyTeksi (@myteksi) October 7, 2015
The campaign did have its fans and its multi-pronged approach to tackling the issue has garned praise in its active markets Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.
Here comes the age old question. Was this a marketing masterclass or nightmare? Let us know in the comment section.