yeah more on the bacardi ugly grrrlfren thaing

i didn't get the following (although i did get the first explanation emailed to me from bacardi). this one is via

the f word

i took the liberty of posting the WHOLE note. if that offends, i apologize most sincerely

digital) did NOT have to run ANYTHING by SOMEONE at i do wish to say it is VERY hard indeed for me to believe an ad agency (in this case mccannbacardi. i have never in my life heard of such a thing. an ad agency given free reign without having to report back to anyone? hmmmmmmmm again

practices are full of shite! no one in their right mind would run a company (the size of if i am wrong, well then, i apologize to bacardi. i would also like to then tell bacardi their bid-nezbacardi that is) and not insist upon accountability - insist on seeing the designs their ad company came up with.

.

...........We wish to thank all of you who have written us about a past promotional campaign for Bacardi Breezer.

As a Company and as individuals we are also angered and dismayed that such a campaign was ever created and we have taken immediate action to stop it as it violated our stringent global marketing principles that we firmly support.

By way of explanation, but by no means an excuse, Bacardi never sponsored nor developed this promotion. But we understand it is our brand and our reputation and you are our consumers. We are also embarrassed that we didn’t catch this breach sooner. We have been urgently looking into this matter to make sure this type of activity is never repeated.

What we do know is that a third-party developed and activated this brief campaign in one small market more than a year ago without our clearance. When we discovered this promotion, we instructed our distributor to shut it down as it did not comply with our global marketing standards. We are now urgently looking into the reasons why this program was recently reposted on the internet. In markets where Bacardi does not have a corporate presence, we are represented by third parties; in this case a distributor and its advertising agency, but they must adhere to our stringent marketing principles, which clearly this campaign did not.

When Bacardi found out about this recent reposting, we immediately notified the agency and distributor to shutdown the website.

Bacardi proudly celebrates diversity and we do not endorse the views of this site or the campaign, as it is offensive and completely inappropriate. We sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by this campaign and thank you, our consumers for bringing it to our attention.

Sincerely,

Bacardi Limited.........

ok ok ok, i posted the above before reading the below part. i am posting THE FOLLOWING COMMENT in it's entirety as well. if i offend anyone (from the f word or the author of the following comment) i again, most sincerely apologize

................mamaV of mamaVISION blog said:

Hi Rachael: This letter is total and complete B.S!

That renegade agency submitted the Ugly Girlfriend Campaign as their best work to The Cannes International Advertising Festival. Then, they were airheaded enough to twitter about it…hello?

I thought you may be interested in my message back to Hillman that I posted on ShapelyProse:

Mr. Hillman: How did the Bacardi “affiliate” retain McCann Digital for this campaign?

McCann Digital is a highly respected agency, I find it hard to believe they would proceed on any campaign of this magnitude on behalf of an “affiliate” that did not have permission to do so.

Further, McCann Digital Israel is quite proud of this campaign, seeing that they submitted it to The Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival which is going on as we speak.

Do you intend to allow this renegade “affiliate” to tarnish Bacardi’s brand image in this way?

Finally, does Corporate intend on submitting a statement of apology on this campaign, or are they asking you as the publicist to handle the uproar?

mV

PS Perhaps you and McCann Digital Israel should stay off twitter for the time being…your tweets don’t sit too well when the McCann is bragging about the campaign as you are apologizing for it. More here; http://bit.ly/aPsO...............

because i DO try to be fair, i'll post this email

i got it yeterday (but just read it now). (corbin & associates is a marketing firm by the way)

see the posting from yesterday to understand this posting today

Dear A Rose is a Rose:

Thank you for taking the time to post your story on Bacardi Breezer.

The campaign you are referring to ran in 2008 for two months in Israel. Even though Bacardi Breezer is not sold or distributed in the United States, we immediately notified the appropriate Bacardi affiliate and had this website shut down.

Bacardi proudly celebrates diversity and we do not endorse the views of this site. We sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by this site and thank you for bringing it to our attention.

Sean-Patrick M. Hillman

Executive Vice President

CORBIN & ASSOCIATES, LTD.

and here is my answer;

mr hillman, i know the campaign only ran in israel. are israeli women different than american women?

is your firm affiliated with mccann digital in ANY way? did your firm approve that ad campaign?

oh and two months is two months too long. to me that is hardly immediate. i truly appreciate your apology although i believe it's of course for pr purposes and NOT because bacardi (and yes, SOMEONE actually from bacardi had to have approved that ad campaign) offended every single women on this earth in this cosmos

no, i won't be drinking bacardi and i'm going to ask every single person i know to NOT drink it either.

sincerely,

a rose is a rose (who is a woman and was highly offended by that ad campaign)

i am going to ask you NOT to ever buy bacardi again

EVER. i pledge i NEVER EVER will. EVER

this not only perpetuates stereotypes but is insulting and evil.

there are far far far better rums out there anyway. myers, mount gay and goslings to name just three.

i don't think i'd personally use the services of mccann digital but i'm going to make sure they know how i feel about this

Boycott Bacardi

Many commercials use misogynistic messages and stereotypes to promote their product, especially products geared to men such as beer. As it turns out, advertisements targeted for women can be equally offensive and ridiculous. Take, for instance, the advertisements for Bacardi Breezers stating that the must-need accessory for a woman is an ugly female friend so they can seem more attractive in comparison................

Bacardi Ad Uses Misogyny To Sell Alcohol To Women

By Margaret
A disgusting new promotional site for Bacardi Breezers says all that women need to be more attractive is to find an more unattractive female friend to stand next to.

According to Copyranter, Israeli ad agency McCann Digital launched the "Get An Ugly Girlfriend!" site in Hebrew and English along with a Hebrew-only facebook group to promote the fruit-flavored alcoholic beverages........

Want to look hot this summer? Bacardi suggests getting an “ugly girlfriend”

I’m a teetotaler for various reasons* — at 30, I’ve never even been drunk if you can believe that — but even if I were the most raging of party girls, Bacardi’s new “Get an ugly girlfriend” ad campaign wouldn’t convince me to buy its line of fruity Breezers.

Remember the discussion the other day on how the beauty beast pits women against each other? This is a prime example. The campaign suggests that women — that is, attractive women — accessorize themselves with an “ugly girlfriend” in order to make themselves look better at the mall, the beach and other social situations. The four “ugly girlfriends” featured on the campaign’s minisite are equal-opportunity offensive, including fat, thin and disabled women..............

Take Action Against Bacardi & McCann Digital for "Ugly Girlfriend" Campaign

by Jen Nedeau

As you may have read about in yesterday's Friday Femme Fatale, McCann Digital, a large advertising agency, has just put out this rather sexist campaign on behalf of Barcadi titled the "Ugly Girlfriend” campaign.

From Women's Media Center:

McCann Digital has teamed up with Bacardi Breezers to target their beverages to women, who “want to look amazing this summer” by accessorizing with “an ugly girlfriend.” Of course, there are different options – and each is ripped apart by describing different woman as having, “97 kilograms of femininity, strength and double chins,” “rubbing thighs,” and “drooping breasts.” Apparently, having them by your side will make you, “the most desirable piece of meat on the grill.”

It’s not clear what overly sweet wine coolers – it really just seems to take a very nauseating, pointless dig at women – displaying blatant misogyny and using it to sell their products to women themselves........

Summer's hot accessory: Ugly girlfriends!

Forget hitting the treadmill or the tanning bed in hopes of looking hot this summer, because Bacardi has discovered a secret shortcut to sexiness: An ugly female friend. If you make your beach premiere with an unattractive pal in tow, you'll look fantastic ... in comparison!

Such is the advice given in an ad campaign (via Copyranter) recently launched in Tel Aviv for Bacardi's girly Breezer drinks. The official Web site is in Hebrew, but -- lucky for us, and too bad for Bacardi -- the ad agency has an English version on its site...................