T.I.’s AKOO Brand is Target of Double Standard in Advertising Criticism
*OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM AKOO BELOW*
If you happen to be in downtown Newark in New Jersey, you might come across a billboard that some critics are saying is a little “hard to swallow”. T.I’s apparel brand AKOO launched a provocative billboard ad in which a woman kneels in front of a man with his AKOO jeans unbuckled.
Some citizens, including the mayor of Newark, are speaking out saying that it is sending the wrong message to young people in the community. The controversy has since been picked up by CNN and ABC News.
But before you start shaking a finger, let’s take a look at a run-of-the-mill Calvin Klein billboard that ran in New York last year:
OMG! Calvin Klein sells more jeans. Yawn, NEXT. What gives?
The AKOO ad, which has zero nudity, has allegedly provoked a city’s outrage. Meanwhile countless young people’s fashion advertising campaigns that have gone before are barely remarked upon.
Said the Newark mayor Cory Booker of the AKOO billboard in his city:
“So often when I am out in the community I see kids wearing their pants too low and others using inappropriate language in public.” He added while there are lots of fronts to fight, “I will work with my city council to see if we can address it so we don’t see these types of advertisements displayed in our city in the near future.”
From the NJ.com blog:
What’s the message here? ‘If I wear these clothes more women will want to have sex with me,’ ” said James Sawhill, a Rutgers-Newark marketing professor. “I’m so sick of people seeing Newark as a place where they can do whatever they want,” he said. “They think they can put it in a black community and nobody is going to say or do anything.”
Here’s the official statement from AKOO, just released minutes ago:
“THE AKOO brand has always aimed to inspire individualism and creativity. Our advertising campaign was not created to offend or insult anyone but to simply provoke dialogue and thought regarding male/female sexuality within urban culture. We hope that as more of the campaign is debuted, people will see the multifaceted personality of AKOO.”
Rapper T.I. representing AKOO at the MTV Music Awards
As the old saw goes, “sex sells”. Duh. T.I. and the AKOO camp know their market, and this ad pushes the right buttons for the right demographic. All others, please keep on walking.
Check out the brouhaha in the brief ABC news video below…
*3/2/2010 UPDATE* Apparently the billboard was just changed!
So what do you think reader? After everything T.I has been through last year, you gonna cut the man a break or what?
Let’s hear your thoughts in the comments!
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kyle says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:18 am
wow, newark should grow up and look around at all the sexually based ads that are….. EVERYWHERE
sad says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:23 am
wtf does sparking conversation about sex have to do with selling gdamn damns? F-off AKOO
Julie Meison says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:27 am
Wow, looks like a nice party! LOL
Jess
http://www.total-anonymity.cz.tc
chuck says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 5:28 am
Just another rapper selling something that sucks.
iheartcrack says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:18 am
That Calvin ad is hot. A bunch of bi dudes and a chick that digs group sex. Awesome.
Tess says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:33 am
The people's remarks will make them sell. They will talk about it.
PartyInMyJeans says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 4:17 pm
The Akoo ad is missin a few chicks. 3 chicks and one dude would have really spoke to me.
Shonda says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:10 am
I think that black people need to be more supportive of our own products. No one made a big fuss in the white community about the Clavin Klein ad. Just because it is a black woman kneely down towards his pants does not mean she was about to suck the guys dick. PLEASE PEOPLE. WAKE UP!We tend to put our own people down in front of white people and those same white people are laughing at us. BLACK PEOPLE OPEN YOUR MIND TO ART. Put the ad back up
Kendta says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 6:39 pm
Umm, I just want to point out that while they sit there and decry the ad they are exposing it to more people then it would have ever received on its own. Sometimes the cure is worse then the illness. So here I am in Indiana never heard about AKOO jeans now I have. You can't buy the kind of advertisting. The City of Newark just saved TI a boatload of money. Personally I think the Calvin Klein billboard is 100 times more suggestive and offensive. Now the whole US will see the billboard on MSN, CNN, NY Times, Fox News.
Shola says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Totally agree with Shonda, we are quick to lay down and take the the punch and also pretty good at singing cumbaya and we shall over come. well i say its all good but at the same time we also need some sorta active active group we are not afraid to get rough rugged and raw. Who determines whats is acceptable in a society? is putting the current administration in office sufficient? “ALUTA CONTINUA”
sba says:
March 2nd, 2010 at 8:36 pm
I wanna thank the city of Newark for this act of taking the billboard down. It is the first step in getting "sex" out of the minds of our children. That's all we hear & see nowadays, is "sex". Listen to half the songs that are played on the radio, don't really need to give any examples, but they're too sexual. Adults are not the only people that "listen & look" in this world. We have kids walking around seeing these billboards. We have kids listening to these songs & as the years go by , it is becoming more & more ok to say certain things on the air. I think 30 years ago, it wouldn't be allowed to have a song playing on the radio that says" call me mr. flinstone, i can make your bed rock". America needs to stop this , or our future will be doomed.
DreStarr says:
March 3rd, 2010 at 12:02 am
It doesn't matter its just another marketing tool to sell T.I.'s brand of clothing..there are way more OFFENSIVE billboards out then T.I's Ad(The Calvin Klein)….stop whining and put the ad back up!!!
JB says:
March 3rd, 2010 at 11:16 am
I live in Newark & I agree. There are so many more important things that we need to be worried about here — guns killing our kids, kids running around without supervision & not going to school….an ad, that has the POTENTIAL to make kids think about sex is no different than the music, movies, conversations that take place in everyday life….I think that parents need to take further responsibility and if it offends them — talk to their kids about it. Furthermore….I agree! calvin klein has been pushing sex and racey ads for years IN TIMES SQUARE for millions of people to see!
TI's Akoo clothing billboard deemed offensive, taken down | Ifelicious Thoughts says:
March 5th, 2010 at 4:13 am
[...] SoJones- TI’s Akoo brand is target of double standard in advertising criticism [...]
Marshall Helix says:
March 9th, 2010 at 10:25 am
I don't know what's wrong with u Americans,u guys have a lot of problems to take care of not withstanding the racial problem that've been there since ur grand mom and dad's and still not yet been solved including other major problems even at ur homes but u guys have time to comment on just an advert…..the girl is not even looking at the guys dick nor the pants,she's just looking at another direction showing that she don'e even care about his dick nor the pants so i think everyone of u needs to go and fix the problem at ur homes first b4 getting jealours of someone just making his living…
MMM says:
March 25th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
I am in total shock over the CK ad, NOT the Akoo ad… nothing like telling our teen girls that its OK to be a gang bang slut!!