FOR WALKS IN THE PARK OR STROLLS AFTER DARK
Would it ever have occurred to you to use the strapline above to advertise a woman’s dress? If not, you are in good company for an in-store advertisement at Sainsbury’s was pulled last week after complaints about women’s safety.
The ad promoted a £24 dress and showed a woman standing in a park. The copy read: "For walks in the park or strolls after dark."
According to an article in PR Week, Nathalie Gordon, creative director at Havas London, took to Twitter to highlight her criticism of the work.
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA THEY THINK WE STROLL IN THE DARK HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA
— Nathalie Gordon (@awlilnatty) January 12, 2023
She wrote: "If you're a person who likes walking/strolling at night & feel safe doing so, I'm genuinely happy for you. But please don't have a go at people who don't feel the same. There are a lot of well documented studies, reports and research that has been done around the safety of women. If you feel like they do not represent your lived experience, then you are lucky."
At the time of writing, her tweet has been viewed 2.2 million times, retweeted by 2,129 people and liked by 24,900 users.
Women’s safety has always been a serious issue and in the light of the Sarah Everard case (and others) and the truly shocking, and ongoing, revelations of rape and sexual assault by Metropolitan Police officers, it is top of mind for many. It’s neither a joke nor something to be treated in a humorous manner and if brands wish to engage with the subject at all, they should be very sure about why they are doing so, clear about precisely what they wish to say and test how their messaging comes across before they ‘go live’ with any ad.
Speaking personally, and as a woman, I do not interpret this ad as deliberately disregarding or devaluing women’s safety. Of course I value our safety but to me, the ad veers more towards the insensitive, crass and ill considered. Women in this country are free to walk in the dark if they wish to do so and to take the relevant risk – but suggesting that they might like to buy a special dress to do so seems bizarre in the extreme, even possibly implying something other than safety (though that is just insulting).
This ad has done Sainsbury’s no favours. This is a story of bad judgment or of lack of oversight or both: but regardless, it has resulted in reputational damage which could have been avoided had the appropriate governance mechanisms been in place. In future, ensuring that an experienced Corporate Affairs professional is represented in every C-suite and Board will provide an effective filter to these issues and prevent them from becoming a problem.