Did anyone else see this article in the Financial Times online? Reporter Holly Shaw published it today and I picked it up in my Google Alerts.

I don't usually post verbatim articles published elsewhere on the Internet, but in the interest of the women's running community, I thought this one needed to be shared:

'Unauthorized' support bra ads spark outrage
Hollie Shaw, Financial Post
Published: Thursday, February 28, 2008

Three ads that appear to feature battered women but are actually advocating jogging support bras have causing a firestorm of controversy, both in the advertising community and online.

The three ads by DDB Toronto appeared in an online advertising Web site on Feb. 22 but the company in question, Markham, Ont.-based athletic store Running Free, says it never authorized the ads. They depict three close-up photographs of young women - one with a bloody nose, one with black eyes and one with a cut lip and a missing tooth - with the tag line "Support bras now available" beside the logo for Running Free.

The co-owner of Running Free, Nick Capra, says DDB approached him with an offer of "pro bono" work, which is often taken on by agencies with an eye to pushing the creative envelope and submitting the results to various industry awards. But Mr. Capra said he never gave approval for the "tasteless and offensive" ads, and said DDB was not authorized to use Running Free's logo in association with the "fictitious" ads. "As co-owner of Running Free I am embarrassed and ashamed to have our company associated with this pathetic excuse for marketing," he said in a statement on the company's Web site. "I apologize on behalf of the whole crew here at Running Free for the anger and frustration created by those images."

After DDB forwarded the ads to AdsOfTheWorld.com, an online advertising community, it sparked an online outcry.

"The fact that this "entertaining" image of women not only running with their boobs flying everywhere, but also smacking them in the face, has morphed into a picture of violence is really unsettling," wrote Vanessa Valienti, editor of Web blog Feministing. "And more plainly, any joke with a picture of a woman's bruised face like this is just not funny."

The ads were also posted on sites such as Advertolog, Coloribus and Trendhunter.

Prominent industry executives have also decried the work. Ania Lindenbergs, general manager and executive vice-president of Allard Johnson in Toronto, said the incident "typifies how easy it is for people who are so close to the ‘craft' can lose sight of the difference between what is smart and unique and what is simply crude, vulgar and gratuitous.

"The world is filled with images of individuals of both genders being brutalized, so we don't need anymore of that ... Perhaps it is time for a course correction in our industry. We cannot accept this from our peers. We must all make a point of actively speaking out against this kind of work."

David Leonard, president of DDB Canada's Toronto office, acknowledged the images "have caused a lot of talk due to the dark nature of the images they used," in a statement.

"While the campaign was trying to be impactful and make light of the need for a support bra, it was not intended to upset anyone, or to trivialize battered women by depicting young female athletes with back eyes and battered faces. On behalf of my agency, I sincerely regret people found it in bad taste and apologize to everyone we may have offended with these ads."

Mr. Capra signed a form giving approval to the ads and displayed them in his store, Mr. Leonard added.

Jeremy Robertson, manager of Running Free, said that is simply untrue.

"We certainly didn't - you can ask any one of our staff," he said, explaining Mr. Capra gave an interim sign-off to go ahead with proofs but when he saw the work he did not want to use it. "It was made very clear to them that we could not use them." Mr. Capra was not available for comment.

The ad's creators, copywriter Courtney Colomby and art director Alexandra Wells, posted an apology "to everyone we've offended," on the Web site Trendhunter. "We are both avid runners and the ads were intended to make light of the need for support bras. We didn't anticipate they would upset so many people, nor would we ever trivialize the issue of battered women. We sincerely regret using these images in the way that we did."

Reached late Thursday, Mr. Leonard said he had been in touch with Mr. Capra. "We'll chalk it up to a misunderstanding and as far as we're concerned, it's over."

He said DDB asked Ads of the World to remove the images but they had been picked up by other Web sites. "As to where it goes from there it's really out of our control," he said. The work will not be submitted to awards panels, he said.

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OK. So what do you guys think? "Make light of the need for sports bras?" These are WOMEN RUNNERS for pete's sake! We're being attacked by our own flanks! Friendly fire!

It's just so hard for me to believe that Courtney and Alexandra wouldn't know any better...or that they wouldn't have more respect for themselves.

I'm very interested in hearing from other Traxees on this. Me? I forgive our friends at Running Free...for now. Courtney and Alexandra need therapy. And the agency that employs them? They will undoubtedly benefit from all the publicity over this work. I think the DDB executives should be made to do community service at their local battered women's shelter. After hearing some of those womens' stories, blackened eyes and broken teeth will no longer simply be in poor taste.

• Currently 3.0/5 Stars.

Tags: Running Free, AdsOfTheWorld, physical abuse, women's running, advertising, Financial Times, Gender, feminism, running Bras

This is just so incredible. I can't believe it - and the fact that it was women that created the ads! How could they possibly think that this was OK? How could they think that making fun of women's bodies was amusing? Isn't that High-School boy stuff? Aren't we over it? These women have either got an extremely low sense of self esteeem or there's some other wierd problem going on at that agency. Either way, not OK. Posted by: moofieruns on Feb 29, 2008 at 07:02 AM