Time to write letters...

[Fujichants]

I just showed it to BF and got no reaction out of him. He just glanced over, and said: cool.

Lol, I slapped his arm and made him look closer and he starts laughing.

Wonder what this means?

[Andrea]

Most guys file this ad under the "who cares" section of their brain.

[7rider]

I think the idea is to have men spend a bit of time looking at the poster and registering the PI logo in their brain.

Or bike mechanics posting it in the back of their shop.

My brother has a (car) mechanics shop and you wouldn't believe the calendar they're receiving... I knew they existed but I thought they were a thing of the past. No way.

I think that is exactly the intent.

I cruised the PI website and there isn't even a "jersey" (and yes, I feel compelled to put that in quotes! ) of that design in their lineup.
So they are not advertising a jersey, or even a women's line of bike clothing....they are marketing a logo.

[Irulan]

I just showed it to BF and got no reaction out of him. He just glanced over, and said: cool.

Lol, I slapped his arm and made him look closer and he starts laughing.

Wonder what this means?

It means, they don't care that a lot of us gals get worked up about this stuff, and that they'd rather put it up on the garage wall. Mars and Venus, ya know?

I've never known a guy to not be interested in boobies.

[Grog]

Dear Pearl Izumi,

I am gaping in awe, disgust, and disbelief at your logo advertisement published in a recent issue of Velonews. On the part of a company like Pearl Izumi, which has a decent selection of products aimed at women and, I thought, some understanding of women road cycling, this comes as a big surprise, and a disappointing one to say the least.

Understand me well: I have nothing against nudity. What I am enraged at is that you are turning a faceless woman into an object to expose your company's logo.

What you are effectively selling is a naked woman body, albeit with some airbrushed colour on it. Of course all the image is really advertising is your logo, which perhaps you hope some men will record in some obscure part of their brain as they gape at the woman's nipples. Are you hoping that, if your investment pays off, some bike mechanics will post it up in their shop?

It is unfortunate that a major cycling gear manufacturer such as PI be so unaware, or so uncaring, about the people who form a significant portion of their clients. Women buy your gear for themselves, but also frequently buy for their loved ones. (It takes a lot of work to get my husband to replace his ratty old bike shorts, and nipples in a magazine are not going to be enough to convince him that it's time to go out and try on a few.)

You HAVE to become aware of how chilly the climate already is for women in cycling, and even more so for women who wrench or otherwise work in bike shops. Pearl Izumi should avoid by all means contributing to the cold draft of slight to open intimidation that women feel on their necks when they get involved in cycling. I've always thought that mountain biking was where most of the bad stuff happened, the road cycling scene being increasingly open to women. And then I saw your ad. What a set back!

Under the current economic circumstances, in which road cycling gear purchases are most likely going to be postponed by many North Americans, I am surprised that Pearl Izumi thought it was in its best interest to further alienate women buyers. If such was not your intention, I sincerely hope that you will amend yourself, pull out the ridiculous ad, and apologize, perhaps by a letter to be published in Velonews and wherever the ad was published? Hopefully Pearl Izumi will, in the future, play an active role in the empowerment of women cyclists, a strategic move that will certainly have more effect on the bottom line than faceless naked women in a magazine.

Yours sincerely,

My signature

[Andrea]

That's awesome!

[Fujichants]

You HAVE to become aware of how chilly the climate already is for women in cycling, and even more so for women who wrench or otherwise work in bike shops. Pearl Izumi should avoid by all means contributing to the cold draft of slight to open intimidation that women feel on their necks when they get involved in cycling. I've always thought that mountain biking was where most of the bad stuff happened, the road cycling scene being increasingly open to women. And then I saw your ad. What a set back!

I love that part!!

[Misandal]

I have this issue of VeloNews and have been reading it, so when I saw this post yesterday, I rushed home to look in the mag to see what I missed. And I had totally missed it - flipped right on past it. So when I found the ad and gave it a good look, not only was I SHOCKED but I couldn't even tell what they were advertising or who they were advertising it to. Whoever their marketing people are really missed it on that one. They made a lot of women mad for apparently no reason at all. Good one, PI!

I way prefer the "Happy Azz" ads.

[badgercat]

This ad is even haunting me in my sleep.

I had a dream last night that I was in a LBS with a bunch of people I know (some whom I haven't seen since high school ) listening to the owner talk, and then he mentioned that he also does advertising and was really proud of his latest creation for Pearl Izumi. I said "Wait, you mean that awful, disgusting one that objectifies women terribly?" and he got this $#!t-eating grin on his face and said "yup!" So I said, "Well, then you've just lost a customer" and stormed out. Then some of the aforementioned high school people who I never really got along with that well were making fun of me for overreacting. That's the last thing I remember from the dream.

*scratches head*

[Trek420]

not only was I SHOCKED but I couldn't even tell what they were advertising or who they were advertising it to. Whoever their marketing people are really missed it on that one.

Back in the day when I worked in design this was drummed into our tiny little heads "remember your target audience"

What were they thinking?

They missed one audience (men who like bQQbs) and offended the other (us) and did not even identify the product.

Somewhere in an advertising firm I imagine that heads are rolling as we speak

[dex]

I wonder if this is from CP+B (Crispin Porter + Bogusky). They've done a good bit of work for Peal Izumi in the past, including the We Are Not Joggers campaign, which got a lot of praise in the agency world. On the other hand, they also did some awful work for Nike that got them pretty widely mocked (and then fired by Nike).

This one is a definite miss, though. Feh.

[Lifesgreat]

This is what I emailed to PI:

I love your products, especially your ultra sensor shorts and jackets. I spend a lot of my discretionary income on cycling products, including Pearl Izumi items.

However, I won't be spending any more money on your company's products. I have found some of your most recent ads to be vulgar, sexist and inappropriate. I decided the best way to express my dissatisfaction is to no longer buy Pearl Izumi products.

Yes, I may be a prude, but I am a prude who has money to spend on cycling.

Sincerely,
/s/

[tygab]

:I wonder if this is from CP+B (Crispin Porter + Bogusky). They've done a good bit of work for Peal Izumi in the past, including the We Are Not Joggers campaign, which got a lot of praise in the agency world.::

well, they were noticeable and I suppose provocative. But if making fun of people exercising garners praise, I am glad I am not in that world.

I am not alone in this view... Google is proof.

[ginny]

Here's my letter (perhaps not as eloquent as Grog's <-- nice letter, Grog!)

I just saw the ad in VeloNews for the... uh... jersey (?). Really? Whoever thought this was a good idea should be fired! As a female cyclist, I hope to be respected for my ability rather than my ... uh... parts! Moreover, this seems to be an ad directed at women. I am a member of a large, female specific cycling forum, and I am afraid you have just lost a number of female customers. I'm sure your ad people are aware that women usually have a big influence over what is purchased for the household in general, so, in addition to royally pissing off serious women cyclists (and any woman with any self respect), you have probably also lost a number of men customers as their wives would promptly return any PI purchases in the near future. I happen to like PI cycling clothes, but there are others out there that are comparable, and I will not be purchasing anything from PI in the near future.

I do hope you retract this ad and post an apology to the female cycling community.

[bluebug32]

Wow, kind of shocked at how graphic that is

Maybe this photo will help them sell some bibs: