Anger at Gloucestershire salon's advert
A Gloucestershire hairdresser has been pressured into scrapping an advertising campaign which showed a glamorous model riding on a motorbike without protection.
Complaints were received by the Gloucestershire Echo and the Advertising Standards Agency after Blushes plastered billboards with the image of the woman being whisked away on the back of the bike without a helmet or leathers.
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Ad anger: The scrapped advert from Blushes. Left: The advert in Cheltenham
The hoarding, which appeared in several prominent places across Cheltenham and Gloucester, included the caption: "Some risks I take, but not with my hair!"
All of the offending posters have now been taken down, or will be imminently.
The image, which also appeared outside the window of Gloucestershire Road Safety's HQ in Shire Hall, has been branded "irresponsible" by the widow of a motorcyclist who was hit by a car.
The controversial advertisement
Kate Tucker, who lives in Wooton-under-Edge, got involved in the pressure group Roadpeace after her husband, Ken Delaney, died while riding from Cheltenham to Dursley in 2001.
She said: "It's certainly irresponsible to suggest that riding a motorbike without a helmet or proper gear is a risk worth taking, but we also have to give the consumer credit for being intelligent enough to realise that it's just an advertising stunt.
"All Blushes are trying to do is advertise their business in these difficult times. But let's hope they put a bit more thought into it in the future."
Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is illegal, and on hearing about the advertising campaign Gloucestershire County Council, forwarded the matter onto the police.
Keith Fagan, Gloucestershire Police's Inspector for Road Safety, said: "Only two per cent of road users are motorcyclists but they make up 21 per cent of those seriously injured or killed in road traffic collisions. It is of vital importance all motorcyclists wear the correct helmet."
The Echo reported last week how young people accounted for a third of all deaths on the county's roads.
Darrell Blake is co-owner of Blushes, which has branches in Montpellier Walk, Cheltenham, and Westgate Street, Gloucester.
He said: "It was a creative statement. We didn't intentionally go out to cause offence.
"The only posters that haven't been taken down yet are waiting to be taken down – but that's out of our control.
"It's a shame because the majority of people have been telling me how amazing the poster is.
"But I understand why some people have misinterpreted it.
"We were just trying to say there's always a risk when you go to another salon – but not when you come to ours."
A spokesman for the Advertising Standards Agency said yesterday: "We were made aware of the poster by a member of the public. We then reached an informal agreement with Blushes, who agreed to take them down."
50 Comments
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by Mike Blake-Smith, Cheltenham
Thursday, November 26 2009, 1:11PM
“Well done lads I'm proud of you both
Dad”
by Mike Blake-Smith, Cheltenham
Thursday, November 26 2009, 12:59PM
“Well done lads.I'm proud of you both.
Dad.”
by MW, cheltenham
Wednesday, November 25 2009, 10:46AM
“As I write 47 people have commented on this story. Is this a record? Almost all have agreed that this is over-kill, no irony intended!
Campaigners on any issue can do themselves a disservice if they are seen to forsake common sense and condemn things for the sake of it. Far from enhancing road safety, or any other messages; the fog of such trivial complaints only serves to mask the more serious.
Road safety is serious, it saves lives, and is not enhanced by idiots insulting the readers intelligence!”
by R-TRUTH, Glos
Wednesday, November 25 2009, 7:37AM
“So i think we all agree, its stupid that this advert has had complaints!
Road safety campaigners should if they want to make an impact, go and film idiotic drivers at any of local roundabouts, and then make an advert themselves. Now i know its a bit of a contridiction, making an advert of bad driving as it may make people drive badly, if the compalints about this advert are to be believed, but it may also educate, or get the police to do something about bad driving.
I can give you a few places to spend a day, c and G roundabout heading from brockworth, people getting in middle lane then trying to go right!!! read the signs morons!!! Or same roundabout going towards town from golden valley, people in middle lane going left, but cars in left lane can go straight on (towards c and g) someone will die because of that, biker or not!!!”
by Skot, gloucester
Wednesday, November 25 2009, 3:15AM
“ok, some people will look and that ad, and think hmm nice hair, but you'd have to be a pretty sad person to think, oh my god no helmet, il go complain, i mean what sadact with no life complains about a chick on a bike, man thats stupid, and if u did complain GET A LIFE”
by dan, Churchdown
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 11:12PM
“oh blah blah blah its just an advert!!! can not believe people can be so touchy and anal the country has gone mad.....its just marketing just an advert and I will be going to blushes to get my highlights done... oh and wooton under edge should actually be Wotton under edge!!!! well it was when I was there recently.... seriously though GET A LIFE GET OVER IT , ITS JUST AN ADVERT!!!!!!!! !!!! Madness....”
by MW, cheltenham
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 11:04PM
“How ridiculous! The advert wouldn¿t work unless people in general, and not just motor bike riders knew that you must wear an helmet and protective clothing to be safe.
Well almost everyone; would understand that this is an advert! Except apparently biker from biker grove, who believes whatever any advert tells him. Should Gloucestershire County Council complain that they are short of money, they could sack the idiot who found reporting this advert a productive use of tax payers money.
Did Darren Blake pay the Echo to report this? He ought to! How many more people has he reached this way?
And finally to Mohammed Abdulah of Barton Street if he exists ¿Honi soit qui mal y pense¿ a bit of latin used by King Edward III when dancing with the Countess of Salisbury. Her garter slipped down to her ankle, causing those around her to respond with sniggers at her humiliation.
In an act of chivalry Edward placed the garter around his own leg, saying "Honi soit qui mal y pense". Its common meaning is "Evil be to him who evil thinks" and the phrase later became the motto of the Order of the Garter.
Did anyone see a garter in the advert?”
by Anon, Suffolk
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 8:38PM
“How ridiculous to have this poster removed?... Its advertising hair - i know i'm stating the obvious, but some people seem to have missed the point of the advert!
Hoorah for Blushes!”
by dont do it, chelt
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 8:34PM
“i would like to complain that my complaints keep being with replaced with similar coments but theres are kept on :( i say discriminationi (boooooooo) and ill say it again that hair cut is RUBBISH !!! so there :D”
by Mark Cuz, Cheltenham
Tuesday, November 24 2009, 8:17PM
“Come on what a great advert,
Whoever complained -'' Its Not REAL!!!''”