AgencySpy LostRemote TVNewser TVSpy FishbowlNY FishbowlDC GalleyCat SocialTimes

Someone Pitched a ‘Woman-Proof Car’ and It Was Bad

What, you thought all British people were naturally hilarious? Here’s the offending (fictional) automobile, complete with “a swivel seat” and “extra-large bumpers.”

Breakeryard concept image - woman proof car side view.jpg

Because women can’t park or back up or avoid bumping into things. Got it. Oh, and the color is pink in order to “alert other road users; specifically males.”

It’s a sad sexist joke disguised as a pitch, but someone designed the graphic and wrote/distributed the release and answered the inevitable “what the hell is this nonsense?” responses.

The campaign came from “the UK’s #1 network of car breakers” aka “a scrapyard”. The concept, as we understand it, is that only the “experts” at this company could create a car fit for a female driver, thanks to their expertise on the topic of playing with metal blocks and breaking stuff. The company behind this brilliant idea calls it “slightly tongue-in-cheek”. Note the “slightly”:

“[The car] specifically caters for women drivers who’re a little unsure behind the wheel” in order to make the driving experience “as enjoyable as possible.”

That should be “caters to“, but why bother? We wouldn’t call this “the most offensive campaign ever”, but we do question the wisdom of the company’s strategy and their supposed desire to “start a debate” among their primary audience: the sort of drunk, moronic blokes that would find this kind of thing funny.

Here’s how we would have responded:

Well, yes, they were. But the joke was bad.

Mediabistro Course

Mediabistro Job Fair
