Dear Dumbasses,
Here is an chance to learn from a mistake. I suppose I am not the first one to email but every time I see that stupid ad with the DMH leather jacket guy wearing the fitted cap and smoking the filterless tobacco product and what's that in the glass? 3 fingers of some yuppie ass bourbon or scotch, my damn blood boils. After he finishes that what will his BAC be then? Let's hit the road! No pun intended. I can appreciate how you hit all the demographics: white guy in leather jacket tough, but wearing a hat to hide the bald spot. Skull and death reference for the rebel yute's, throw in some gambling and smoking and drinking and you got it all covered. Dumbasses. Line up the big money marketing guy or gal who thought that stupid shit up and make them go for a ride with middle age, smoke breath, drinking guy. Hands down one of the stupidest ads I have ever seen. Bring back the hot chicks. Keep the old white guy but please take out the death and smoking and drinking. Don't fire anyone, but for sure line em up and say " you know, if we weren't so cool, you would be totally fired.". Because they should be totally fired. Dumbasses. You ought to print a full out retraction for every 15 yr old kid who sees that stupid ass ad and thinks " yeah, I'ma get me a bald spot and some bourbon and then I be cool too!" Dumbasses. I woulda used my real name but what's with the address requirement? You gonna bring me some booze and smokes?
- Joe
This is the ad our lovely viewer is referring too. For clarification the 215lbs model would have a BAC of around .03% after polishing off that 1.5 oz of 'yuppie' bourbon, well below the normal .08% intoxication standard. All of which might be relevant if we showed, or even implied, he was operating a motor vehicle - which we don't.
For the record...no bald spot (But the model's dome does resemble a wet chocolate lab)
Also, we've never really considered our usual choice in hooch to be 'yuppie' - cost effective, pennywise, dare we say frugal... but never yuppie
And finally - Smoking and drinking doesn't actually 'get it all covered' - in retrospect we should have included live handgun rounds and loose women to the composition - then you'd have something to really be upset about. Anyways, thanks for the email Joe - it's been fun. Cheers.
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excellent! funniest shit I've read all day.
ReplyDeletenice response Icon
ReplyDeleteman, go drive a minivan and let us bikers do the worry. thanks.
ReplyDeletejoe has now relinquished his right to wear ICON clothing.Ha ha ha! Joe sucks :-)
ReplyDeleteYou do realize that you are marketing a jacket to be used as protective equipment while operating a motor vehicle.. which kinda implies, sorta, ya know, to the normal person looking at an ad for motorcycle gear in a motorcycle mag that he is either: A) going to operate a motor vehicle, or if not B) is a poser, or someone who wears his leathers around just for style, which is pretty lame.
ReplyDeleteOf course, they do have to label coffee as "HOT" in this country.. people are pretty stupid.
Yea, it's just an ad, but some of the approaches are pretty thin. Demographics who are worried more about looking what they think is "cool" rather than being properly protected are gonna go for this kind of thing, it's true. I guess what's amazing is that you guys have capitalized on actually getting people into safety gear (that happens to be very functional! don't get me wrong) who may not have considered it otherwise.
What a pussy, This is whats wrong with the United States. Everyone goes out of their way to be offended, and bitch about it. The ad made me drink, smoke, play poker and beat my wife too but Im not complaining. Why dont you round it off and file a lawsuit you whimp. I own a motorcycle parts company that advertises in magazines alongside Icon. There ads are great and Ill admit I take there ads concepts into consideration when designing mine. I have AK-47s hidden in the background in some of my ads, watch out!
ReplyDeleteLuke M
if i was sippin' some crow and had to ride home, and my BAC was a little on the wrong side and i spotted the 1-2 and tried to hide and went over the high side of the wide glide, i'd sure be glad i had that rad icon jacket on my back...-kr
ReplyDeleteIt's called an image guys, please try not to take it too seriously. See, I think ICON assumes that people have their very own persona, and don't need to take an ad literally to the point of duplicating its suggestive behavior and content. If that is too much to ask, then the solution is simple. Don't buy ICON gear. See if they care.
ReplyDeleteI believe the ad was just going with the story of the dead man's hand. Drinking n gambling. I don't believe that icon wants kids or adults to get drunk n ride. And I don't believe they are encouraging cheating either...surprised no one bitched about him being drunk n dishonest. Icon rules!
ReplyDelete