Further to scenes like this (above) and articles like this.
A selection [link below] compiled by Niamh Davis of photos of scantily-clad women promoting items in Irish newspapers that may not in fact require disrobed models.
Morto: irish models needlessly in Marketing Campaigns (Facebook)
Pic via here
Sponsored Link
Sex sells. Shocker!
Yes, well then why isn’t the guy running around is his y-fronts? Women have sex too you know. We have cash as well these days since we’re no longer relying on the big fella to come home and give us a few coppers from his paypacket. So get ’em off Mr Gherkin!
This ‘bemused by all this’ gay wants nekkid manflesh too.
Abrecrombie is on Dame St. Go have a look around.
Suppose the difference there is that Ambercrombie & Whatever is selling products based on an aspiration of being really good-looking and trim and having sex with other really good-looking and trim people. It’s very direct. Nobody gives out about beautiful people modelling swimwear, particularly. Whereas what’s being sold above appears to be something to do with tomatoes? Peppers?
Most of the other products on the linked Facebook page are completely unrelated to sex or fashion. Which is what gives the model phenomenon in Ireland particularly such a ridiculous air.
Nonsense. The topless men are there to draw in the women. It is that simple.
Oh, okay then. Glad you figured it out. Should we put together a press release or something?
Get on to Vice, they might be interested. But I doubt it.
“And straight in at number 2 in this week’s download charts is the smash hit of the summer, the one you’ve all been humming – it’s the wonderful ‘Get ’em off Mister Gherkin’ performed by Buzz and the Junglemen”
Women have sex?!!
And their own money?!!!
Fupping WOMEN!!!
No wonder the country is going to the dogs!
Lazy assumption!
Are you joking?
No. I mean, one assumption is that any of these are sexy, let alone that they successfully sell anything, or that of they did they would not be misogynistic, or that if they were misogynistic your truism somehow justifies it, or that any person reading this did not already know that the justification for doing this was your lazy trite truism.
So you want them to cover up, basically. I think it is you who is backward.
No, I want you to cover up, swinging around the trees in a loincloth the size of a hanky for feck’s sake.
Finally, my username is invoking the imagery I always aimed for.
Perhaps.
But what the hell is sexy about women running round Stephens Green in Bikinis on a fupping soggy day?
It just looks stupid.
I’m no marketing expert. But I presume it works if they keep doing it.
It does
If they keep running eventually they may fit in the bikini
Well, that’s a handy excuse to put some scantily-clad models on your website….
Why does the theme song to Benny Hill come to mind?
I am available for shoots of lo…., I mean…. I am available for loads of shoots, for anything.
I have big hands and can hold up large shapes, letters and products without dropping them.
I can also hold soft things, for example, large or small puppies comfortably.
I am willing to stand in the rain.
I have sexy hairy man legs.
I am capable of walking down Grafton St towards the Northside ( I can also walk up it )
I am capable of walking around the railings of Stephens Green, I can also roll in the grass.
I have my own mankini.
I am capable of walking in a straight line to camera.
I have traveled on both the Green and Red lines of the Luas.
I am capable of standing still.
My bum looks big in everything.
I am bonerfide.
I am capable of running in slow motion.
I am a duckface champion.
My bum looks good in anything.
What I can do with a balled up sock is impressive.
My charge is €1,000 for a half day, because I’m worth it.
My details are with Broadsheet admin.
You’re perfect. Marry me Clampers.
*blushes*
That’s all great.. but you left out Inches.
If you want to be a model, size matters. :)
What do ya think the sock is for :)
To keep it warm? :)
hmmm. Wowsers..
…damn that wasn’t meant to go there :(
What, the balled up sock?
See response to Anne above.
Morkeshing in Ireland is truly awful, Its pretty clear that no on has any ideas beyond bikinis, a CEO in his suit and Grafton Street/St. Stephen’s Green/Grand Canal Dock
We still buy shedloads of cräp though.
Correlation is not causation.
But why come up with better or more original marketing strategies if you sell a lot of stuff with this tripe anyway?
because its $h1te, because you could sell even more if you tired harder, because it objectifies women, because people should want to do the best they can at what they do.
@Selfie my point about “why come up with something better” was kind of rhetorical. But thanks :)
There is causation though. Marketing works, that’s the only reason people pay for it.
the queue for boojum the other day would respectfully disagree
Not disagreeing about marketing/pr situation in ireland-the nonsense ‘photocall’ doesn’t exist beyond this country-but clearly, as has been pointed out by others, they keep doing it because the papers keep printing it. Male editors and male photo editors are the ones who put these stupid pictures in the paper. I would assume the day editors stop using these types of pictures is the day this stops- not the other way around. If they get in why wouldn’t agencies keep doing it? Sure it would be nice to see a bit more originality from supposedly creative people but I am sure there is an “if it ain’t broke…” mentality to it!
Birds in Bikini, I’ll buy that for a dollar
Instead of targeting the models, who are doing their jobs, why don’t you target the companies behind the photocalls? They wouldn’t be in their bikinis on Grafton Street if the companies they worked for didn’t ask for it. Supply and demand, people!
Who is “targeting the models”?
The Payday Killer and if city hall doesn’t get off my ass about ‘proper procedure’ then he’ll continue gutting these poor girls the last Thursday of every month.
GOD DAMMIT MANI IF YOU GUN DOWN ONE MORE KNIFE WIELDING MANIAC WITHOUT A WARRANT I’LL HAVE YOUR BADGE AND YOUR GUN! NOW GET OUT THERE AND DO YOUR JOB!
Fair enough, boss. next knife wielding maniac I see I’ll ask him if he has a warrant before shooting him.
GET OUTTA MY OFFICE!
Ugh. My ulcer. I really need to quit drinking. But you’d drink too if you’d seen the things I’ve seen. Pretty little fake tanned girls plucked to death with a razor sharp tweezers. If you’re thinking ‘that doesn’t make any sense’, you’d be right. It’s completely senseless.
Don’t let him get into your head Mani, or he’ll start playing a cruel, brutal game of death and murder and cat and mouse and homicide and astonishingly complex murder tableux all as a love letter to the only person that understands him: you. Also, I have my doubts abut that suspiciously affable hairdresser you brought in as a consultant.
My empathy for these monsters is my greatest gift. And also…my curse.
Also,D’Angelique is not just a hairdresser he also shares a deep telepathic connection with the killers’ cat, Mr Jangles.
Hamas is targeting the models…
Yeah, because modelling is the only job available.
Plenty of Irish models who stick solely to fashion.
I hadn’t intended on targeting the models. I just wanted to make a point that things need to change. I do however, totally agree with you Sarah, it’s the lazy marketing agencies and the companies on show who decide to use this titillation that need to be shamed.
In what way do they need to change? Why is this such a big issue?
Most of the pics on that facebook page do not contain scantily clad models. In fact, the Facebook page has nothing to do with the attire (or lack thereof at all) – just that the models are unnecessary (fair point). Pretty much the only pic where models are clad scantily is the one Broadsheet.ie picked out.
…and the naked cowboy.
Some grizzled old PR guru tells the companies that this is the only way to get equally-grizzled old photographers out of the pub and take some photos. Sad really.
no gaps
It’s the bikini bridge these days isn’t it?
I’m appalled and aroused in equal measure.
Is that Rory McIlroy?
The use of the pic of Rozanna Purcell in the Cycle Against Suicide in that compilation isn’t fair IMO. She’s not scantily clad, is a publicly known person and she cycles – in fact I reckon she cycled in the Cycle Against Suicide itself. Other than that they’re fairly cringeworthy.
She didn’t do a Rosanna and hop off the back of a truck with her bike then.
Good on her. I’m with ya!!
Oh, didn’t realise she actually did the race. I put her in simply because of the amount of makeup and the hair extensions felt a little over the top for a Cycle Against Suicide campaign. But fair play to her for doing the cycle and being the face of it.
Now you’re just proving my point about the vitriolic jealousy that underscores the sentiments put forth by yourself and Roisin. The problem you have is apparently not with the marketing policy, but the models themselves.
That’s such horse shit Jungleman. Certainly it’s up to each individual how they want to present themselves but the non-stop grooming can wear thin in certain situations – eg people who go hiking dressed for the beach, then as soon as a chill descends, they want to borrow your fleece.
Sometimes it’s about looking and feeling good. But other times, it’s plain ole attention seeking, which is needy and draining to be around.
I wonder would some TD ask a parliamentary question about how much government departments and state agencies pay for this kind of thing…
She missed this gratuitous nonsense
http://www.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013524/rs_1024x457-130624183323-1024.AndrewCooperDietCoke.jl.062413.jpg
YOU DID IT. After all the training, your moment has arrived. You can look yourself in the mirror and you can say “Hell yeah. I’m that guy. I’m the guy who brought up the Diet Coke ads in an online debate about misogyny.”
http://imgur.com/7LsNJiz
Give that man a fedora!!
Funny thing is most of the people suggesting and organising this kind of stuff, both in the PR and client companies, are young women.
See that’s the thing, misogyny is so pervasive in Ireland that most women are brought up with it and don’t even question it. Women are taught from an early age – often by their mothers – to dislike and distrust other women.
So… it’s the mothers fault?
No way. We are collectively responsible. Now that we’re aware of how insidious it is, we can root it out.
Phew ! :)
Young women tend to hold all the power in these companies alright.
This is a good point- definitely a high percentage of women working in the industry suggesting this crap. BUT- how many female picture editors are in the papers? I would say none in the national papers but stand to be corrected. That is who has the control here.
Am I the only one who has never seen any of these adverts or marketing promos?
Always in the Metro at least. If you never look at that you could escape it!
Try the Independent on the weekends, The Examiner every day and all red top papers.
Or not. Better not to try any of these.
Cos they’re trash, and you will be dumber for having read them
Worked for a company that would order these. Old Marketing Director would be literally drooling over the phone and beads of sweat would appear on his forehead as he chose his model and requested what they wear etc. The whole practice was born out of pervy male fantasies.
LOL
I know I shouldn’t laugh (sorry) but that description was hilarious.
Laugh away. The dirty oul sad fecker was hilarious.
There’s an assumption advertising stunts must work. They actually tend to be hit and miss – more miss than hit. A bit of attention from broadsheets can make a cringe inducing one like this worthwhile
Up with this sort of thing!
Amazing how little people know about how this works and why.
It’s not a marketing agency thing, it’s a PR agency thing. These aren’t adverts, they are photos that accompany press releases.
It’s a big difference – you pay to insert adverts in newspapers but these photos are submitted without payment for editorial consideration. Only in some local papers is there a link between advertising and editorial (apparently)
So the goal is to provide material that the newspaper editor will decide to publish. For photos the gatekeeper is usually the newspapers photo editor – they decide what goes in and what doesn’t. For whatever reason in Ireland they favour model in bikini shots…
It’s not about motivating photographers to come and see – at least one photographer is hired by the agency. That decision is key as some photographers are clearly favoured by the photo editors – I don’t know why. Get a weeks worth of papers and look for the names of the photographer on every photo. You’ll see the same names keep cropping up.
The commenter above was right that the people who organise these photo shoots, they are mostly women from mid twenties to mid thirties and the ones I knew weren’t too happy about the inherent sexism but accepted it as being part of the job. They often tried other stuff like circus acts and cute kids but all too often those might fail whereas the models had a really good hit rate. At the end of the day the agency is representing a client and their job is to get that client into the newspaper. Business stories go in the business section but getting coverage in the news section is hard. If there is a political angle or human interest then a good press release and some well placed phone calls might work but outside of that it’s the photos….
If only some enterprising news website could track down the photo editors and get them to explain it all…..
This.
Thanks for that explanation Donal, I only have a background in digital marketing, so don’t know the ins and outs of the industry.
I was aware alright about how these photos helped get businesses into the papers.
I still feel it shows an incredible lack of imagination from PR firms, it’s such an Irish phenomenon.
Just because it is widely used as a PR stunt here does not make it acceptable and OK.