Reebok Controversy

Article 19 of the ICCPR states that "[e]veryone shall have the right to hold opinions without interference" and "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression." Human beings everywhere have different opinions and views, that's one of the many things that make us all individuals. With that being said, being respectful and not crossing boundaries doesn't always turn out so ideally. Some companies actually believe that crossing these boundaries are good ways to connect with or reach the possible buyer. This strategy is a risky one and could obviously backfire at any time a new ad is released.

In late March of 2012, an ad appeared in a Germany Gym that sparked a huge controversy all over the world. This ad from the Reebok company stated, "Cheat on your girlfriend, Not on your workout". This made it to the social network Twitter in no time and many people were not happy. Reebok then pulled the ad, but never issued a direct apology. All that was offered was a statement by Dan Sarro, a spokesperson for Reebok, stating “We regret that some offensive Reebok materials were recently printed.” I’m sure the company did regret the ad, because sales dropped three percent in that fourth quarter, compared to the previous year, while Adidas sales grew by fourteen percent.
Mainly women around the world were offended by this, but with great reason.
Out of most of the comments and responses, there is one universal. This ad is encouraging men to stay true to themselves, but not to their relationship. This is not acceptable. I do agree your health should be a major concern, and you should never stop trying to better yourself, however, not at the expense of another, male or female. A statement was released by Cheaterville.com and read: “This form of advertising shows a dishonest and disrespectful attitude towards women and your company should be ashamed to have even placed this ad in various places thinking it would be perceived in any other
way.”

Advertising comes in many different forms, but the ultimate goal is to make the consumer buy your product. Would you buy an inferior product just because you agree with their opinion? Well, of course not. When buying anything we look at the quality of the product, but the companies also have to make you want to purchase what they have. In turn, if you’re uncomfortable with a message they’ve sent, you’re going to steer in another direction, of course.

In conclusion, I personally disagree with the ad and would’ve supported the removal also. Children may not have been exposed to this very ad, but they are among the people seeing other equally wrong advertisements and soaking in everything they read. No one should grow up thinking it is alright to cheat at anything. I believe it’s important that we step up and voice our opinion anytime an issue arises that we see as immoral or wrong. If everyone in history simply brushed off what they thought of as wrong, where would we all be now?