Has a marketing strategy gone severely wrong or simply a creepy bus ad made by creepy people? Channel 4 created an ad that was imprinted on a double-decker bus and it has gone viral… for all the wrong reasons. Though many hold that all publicity is good publicity, in this case, we might just see the exception.
What Is The Ad?
Channel 4 is a free-to-air British public network and the double-decker bus which was imprinted by them was also spotted in the UK. The ad is basically that they have written a sexual innuendo for each compartment on the upper deck. Have a look at it!
What the hell is this creepy bus ad? You can’t just label non-consenting passengers like that. Does @Channel4 not know how many sexual assaults take place on buses? pic.twitter.com/SQQoYUmFqv
— Tracy King (@tkingdot) August 30, 2021
Who Spoke Up Against It?
Tracy King is the person who spotted it and couldn’t stay quiet about it. She is a writer and producer based in London and she was simply appalled by the ad. Many passengers may be unaware when they step into the bus and take their seat that Channel 4 has categorised them into something sexual. Moreover, imagine you’re sitting there, unaware, and someone takes a picture of you!
My background is marketing. In general you have to be very careful with adverts that include the public without their consent, and that goes double for public transport. Passengers shouldn’t have to navigate ‘am I the butt of a joke on my way to work today’.
— Tracy King (@tkingdot) August 30, 2021
Tracy King’s argument is against non-consenting passengers being involved in such ads. The ad is a marketing failure and a PR nightmare.
Read more: 5 Fool-Proof Marketing Tactics Brands Should Try Post Pandemic
Why Is It So Creepy?
Making sexualised jokes to the unconsenting public can be punished by law. In the day and age where the fight is to make public spaces safer, this ad is a regressive step. A problematic man can very well walk up to the space where it says ‘loves naked attraction’ and molest/assault/harass anyone sitting there as part of a joke! Their defence will be that the ad says it too!
Moreover, over half of the women have been approximated to be sexually harassed or terrorised in London’s public transport. This ad makes their trauma and experience worse and also undermines it.
Read more: This Marketing Stunt By Netflix Has Scared The Heart Out Of People
What Are The People Saying?
Tracy King made a whole thread in which she fights against this horrifying ad with facts and figures. It’s a must-read. Besides her tweets gaining popularity – an indicator that people agree with her – others are also tweeting their own thoughts. They’re all similarly horrified with the ad and shocked to see the company’s complacency.
I’m so glad you’ve said this because it’s been creeping me out too.
— Charlotte O’Gorman (@Lottieogorman) August 30, 2021
I saw one today and thought 🤢 that’s very wrong.
— Louise Smith (@Mrssmith24) August 30, 2021
I briefly saw this on a bus the other day and was really shocked.
— Histrel 🇪🇺 💚🤍💜 (@Histrel) August 30, 2021
Will Channel 4 be held accountable for this creepy bus ad or will they simply remove it? Nonetheless, it is nothing less than a marketing failure.
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