Berlusconi was shown giving a peace sign from the driver’s seat of a car, while three scantily clad women are bound up and gagged in the trunk. The tagline reads, “leave your worries behind with Figo’s extra-large boot”.
Another version of the ad depicts Paris Hilton in the driver’s seat winking, while her reality-TV Rivals, the Kardashian sisters, are bound in the boot.
Both Ford and advertising agency JWT have issued an apology. Ford said it regretted the incident and called the images “contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford”, adding, “We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened.”
The ads were just some speculative renderings, and had not actually been approved by Ford. It is unclear whether anyone at the car company actually ever saw the pictures before they were leaked online by the India-based advertising agency.
The timing of the ads is particular problematic, as they came public just after India passed a new law on violence against women following a gang rape of a student on a bus that prompted mass protests.
The ads immediately garnered criticism, slate.com running a headline on its blog titled “Ford India Needs to Fire its Adverising Execs”.