new Samsung ad, created by all male team, called tone deaf (woman jogging alone at night)

[Demovictory9]

A new Samsung ad is under fire as "tone deaf" in regard to women's safety, and the company has apologized to its critics, reports the BBC. The spot called "Night Owls" features a woman going for a run in the middle of the night alone, the point being "to celebrate individuality and freedom to exercise at all hours," said the company. Critics, though, say the spot defies reality. "Women don't run at that time because we are too scared to," is how Esther Newman, editor of Women's Running magazine, puts it.

"We apologize for how this may have been received," said the company after the blowback surfaced. The ad has been particularly criticized overseas given the murder of 23-year-old Ashling Murphy, who was killed in Ireland while on a solo run in January, per Irish Central. The killing inspired the hashtag #shewasonarun in which female runners shared stories of harassment. It's “completely and utterly tone deaf," says Jamie Klinger, founder of the group Reclaim Our Streets, per the Guardian. "It's almost laughable how bad this ad lands."

When it first surfaced, the ad got a largely flattering writeup in AdWeek, but the reception since has been overshadowed by the criticism. A post at More About Advertising reports the spot was created by an all-male team at Ogilvy New York, which has not commented. "It does seem pretty shocking that, given women’s experience of exercising—or even just walking—alone, no one stopped to think about the premise of this ad," writes Emma Hall. "Samsung’s ad looks good, but consumers want more than that these days."

https://www.newser.com/story/319921/samsung-apologizes-after-criticism-of-new-ad.html

[lapfog_1]

1. Life as it should be in every city in the world

but not as it is.

OTOH, I had a friend who, in her twenties, went skateboarding almost every night / early morning in San Francisco.

[viva la]

2. I've found that many men have no idea how much we restrict our activities to avoid danger

And I've noticed even when informed, some scoff at it. After all, how common is sexual assault anyway? they wonder.
Arrgh.

[Demovictory9]

4. LA has many major stores open 24 hours and the others close at 2am, reopen at 6am. I drove

to market at 2am for something. there were men EVERYWHERE. Biking, walking, driving!! there was even a man pushing a baby buggy to the market. not a care in the world.


It was stunning! the night belongs to males, I guess. I only saw women out past 9pm, if they were waiting at a bus stop, probably going to / coming from work

[viva la]

5. and the women are probably coming back from a late shift at work in some store

And gripping their MACE spray.

[Demovictory9]

6. yes, when I was young bus rider, after I got off the bus at dusk and walked home, cars would pull up

and ask if I wanted a ride. almost entirely lone males.

[viva la]

7. I listen to too many true-crime podcasts-- 80% which deal with "Femicide"

To ever be comfortable even acknowledging some guy's offer of a ride.

[leftyladyfrommo]

29. That happened to me, too. They pick up prostitutes

that way. They pull up slowly, roll down the window and ask if you want a ride. That used to make me so mad. I worked at a bank in an area where there were lots of prostitutes.

[Raine]

10. I don't see hardly any men out much in the LA burb I live in except workers waiting for a bus

or sketchy types up to no good. It seem like anymore late night is not very safe for anyone of any sex or age.

[Demovictory9]

11. this was SFV, near Ventura boulevard

[Raine]

15. This is along the coast, probably rougher here

lots of people driving around looking for trouble.

[Jirel]

13. Or not.

I do all these things. Many of my other female friends do too. None of us have a care in the world, either.

I’m pretty sick of hearing from other women what I supposedly do or don’t do, or what I fear, or what I should fear…

[smirkymonkey]

35. Oh. Well good for you then.

[betsuni]

46. "None of us have a care in the world, either."

[MrsCoffee]

53. Must be nice, huh?

[spooky3]

8. But if women did NOT restrict activities, and one were assaulted,

Many people would be quick to blame her.

[leftyladyfrommo]

30. Oh, ya. It was her fault. Running alone late at

night. Shouldn't have been out there. What did you expect? Asking for it.

I don't think men have a very good idea of how careful women have to be. Sexual perverts go where women are vulnerable. Bars are another place that they use for hunting grounds. I had a friend who was kidnapped and raped when she left a bar to go to her car. She had been talking to a man at the bar and he volunteered to walk her to her car. He had a friend waiting outside. She was released eventually but you never get over something like that.

Women have to be aware that there are monsters walking among us.

[shrike3]

56. I'm so sorry that happened to your friend.

[leftyladyfrommo]

57. It was a long time ago. It makes me sick when young

women just won't listen. They say it's their right to go anywhere at any time wearing what they want. And it should be thst way. But the truth is that there are monsters among us . We do not live in a safe world.

[shrike3]

61. I remember a policeman saying, "Young women have no sense of danger until it is too late."

Now, I know that comes across as misogynistic. But I imagine that in his case it was based on experience.

[leftyladyfrommo]

63. I remember how dumb I was about stuff like that.

I just thought I was tough enough and street smart enough to take care of myself.

I had no concept of how violent can be. I was just naive about what real violence is like. I wouldn't have stood a chance.

[shrike3]

65. I know exactly what you mean.

The chances I took when I was younger make me shake my head now.

[leftyladyfrommo]

66. I just didn't have a clue.

[shrike3]

67. Neither did I.

[leftyladyfrommo]

68. At least we lived to tell our tale. So many young women

Just disappear and then two days later some poor dog walker stumbles over a body.

Happens way too often.

[madaboutharry]

3. As if one would meet all her night owl friends in the dimly lit streets.

Tone deaf in the extreme. A lot of women don’t feel all that safe driving late at night, even in a car with the doors locked.

[spooky3]

9. In preparing a related class I once taught, I was stunned to learn

That despite the entry of many women into marketing roles since the 90s or so, the VAST majority of ad directors are male. I find lots of advertising to be stereotyped, sexist, etc.

[Jirel]

12. Oh, FFS.

I’m a woman. I have gone walking, biking, and running alone in major cities in the middle of the night. Yes, there are predators everywhere - they’re out there night and day, rain or shine. Many of us are aware of the risks but we’re hardly going to be stopped by them. There is nothing wrong with this ad. There IS something wrong with some women trying to change the narrative to give this ad a negative connotation, and perpetuate the massage that we should be afraid.

Yes, we women do run alone in the wee hours.

No, we are not afraid to.

[shrike3]

14. Well, I used to run at night, then I was sexually assaulted while running at night.

I haven't run at night in years.

I've lived with that experience for many years and hardly consider myself a fearful person. I've hardly let it stop me. But post-assault, I took precautions that I didn't take pre-assault. I've kept up those precautions.

This, from the article: The ad has been particularly criticized overseas given the murder of 23-year-old Ashling Murphy, who was killed in Ireland while on a solo run in January, per Irish Central. The killing inspired the hashtag #shewasonarun in which female runners shared stories of harassment.

[Demovictory9]

16. I'm sorry that happened to you

[shrike3]

19. Thank you. I'm at a point where I rarely think about it, and I never thought that would happen.

[Jirel]

20. I'm sorry you went through that.

I completely understand your choice, given your experience.

I did see that, in the article. I take issue with it. Women experiencing harassment (and threats) happens everywhere, at all hours. But, while I'm glad women are sharing their experiences, it is not something that should cause women to try to warn off other women from running where and when they choose, or to attack an ad showing a woman doing a relatively common activity the way she chooses. I have been through a couple attempted assaults in my life - and they had nothing to do with running or being out at night. Sadly, sexual assault, or at least the attempt, is rampant in most of the world, in virtually every setting. But, adult women are hardly unaware of that, and are capable of making our own decisions as to our activities and safety, and should not be shamed or overwarned or told that our choices are somehow abnormal.

[MrsCoffee]

22. There should be no "but" in that paragraph.

You should have just stopped while you were ahead.

[North Shore Chicago]

47. Yep

[shrike3]

23. Per the Guardian article

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/apr/28/samsung-ad-featuring-woman-running-alone-at-2am-criticised-as-naive

Sahra-Isha Muhammad-Jones, the founder and head of partnerships of Asra running club, a group for Muslim women, said: “There seems to be an unawareness of how unsafe it is for women running at this time. As a woman who is running, it’s not safe already, but as a Black Muslim woman, it’s even more unsafe. This advert felt like what would happen in an ideal world.”

“It can be triggering for women watching this advert and then having to come to terms with what is actually happening in reality to women in this country.”

Muhammad-Jones added that the advert felt like a missed opportunity to spark a meaningful discussion on women’s safety.

“My first reaction was to laugh. The ad is completely unrealistic and totally blinkered,” says Esther Newman, the editor of Women’s Running magazine.

“We have worked for years on the issues of women’s safety when it comes to running and the vast majority of women in our audience have felt unsafe whilst running, from heckling to actual abuse. We know that women often think about stopping running because of this,” says Newman.

The safety of female runners has been an issue for years. The "living in fear" line sounds dismissive, and has a bit of superiority in it, though I'm sure that's not what you intended. "I'm not afraid the way you are." Again, I'm sure you didn't mean it that way. Also, feeling unsafe is different than being afraid.

[alphafemale]

17. I think it is quite beautiful, actually.

Not all of us live in fear.
And not all of us demand that all of us live in fear.

Awareness? Yes.

But acknowledging the night owls going home as the earliest are starting as well as the night shift women.

It is beautiful.

[shrike3]

21. With some, it's not so much living in fear, but knowing what the hell could happen.

And what's already happened.

[alphafemale]

25. Just stop demanding that we all live in your world paralyzed by fear.

OK?

Of course I know what is possible.

I also let my children climb cliffs and trees. horror of horrors

[shrike3]

27. I'm demanding nothing of you, darlin'.

Be nice if you showed a little bit of compassion for those who've had to face what you haven't.

[alphafemale]

36. That is the very thing.

I DO face it. I have faced it. I WILL forever be fangs forward.

I don't demand commercials be banned because they show some women not being cowering victims.

[shrike3]

37. Too bad "facing it" didn't teach you a little compassion.

I faced it too, darlin', after a brutal assault. Had PTSD for a few years. Managed "blend it into my life experiences" as my therapist once said. And I would never refer to other women as "cowering victims." Maybe those "cowering victims" are actually prudent women who want to live long enough to chase their dreams. Or see their grandchildren.

But you do you. With your "fangs forward."

[Emile]

18. Years ago I liked walking at night when it got hot outside. I didn't feel safe and I'm a man.

[shrike3]

31. Feeling unsafe is a little different than being afraid, which of course you know.

If you don't feel safe, then you should get out of the situation. Male or female. Trust your instincts. There are parts of our city where my husband wouldn't feel safe, and he grew up, er, a tough guy.

[milestogo]

24. The all-male team at Ogilvy New York lives in a fantasy world.

This actually would make me not want to buy Samsung.

[Polybius]

26. It makes me want to buy it more

A woman should feel safe to jog 24/7. She should also be able to job any time she feels free to do so.

[shrike3]

28. But it isn't safe to jog 24/7. Wishing doesn't make it so.

[betsuni]

48. +1

[EX500rider]

62. That depends where you live I'd say

The small touristy beach town in Fla I lived in certainly would be safe to be out 24/7

[shrike3]

64. Unless something happens there. But it may be a matter of risk assessment.

There used to be this small, attractive woods next to my college campus. Popular place. Went walking there all the time. But never after dark. I knew women who would walk 24/7 there because they felt the risk to themselves was slim to none. Nothing happened there when I was in school. But there was a series of rapes there later on. I have no idea what goes on there now. But I'm sure there are women walk there and consider the risk to themselves low.

[milestogo]

33. Well we "should" live in a utopia, but we don't.

[MrsCoffee]

52. Of course she SHOULD. Yet at least 60% of women are harassed while running.

https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/a36278390/reclaim-the-run/

By Runners World Editors 9/05/21

How many minutes of daylight remain, how easy their keys are to reach in an emergency, who they should inform of their running route, if it’s safe to wear headphones and whether they’ll get to the end of their run without feeling afraid. For far too many women, running isn’t the cherished slice of personal time it should be or the endorphin-filled escape it sometimes can be.

[womanofthehills]

72. A woman SHOULD feel safe & there SHOULD be no psychopaths

But there are psychopaths out there. Albert Ellis, one of the early cognitive behavior therapists said SHOULDS get people in trouble.

[vercetti2021]

32. I don't see an issue with this

I recently started jogging. But I also take a weapon with me as well. I swear being trans isn't easy sometimes.

[milestogo]

34. I take a dog.

And he has a full set of teeth that nobody wants to encounter.

[shrike3]

39. I've known women who've done that.

I remember meeting a woman downtown with a German Shepherd. He stood between me and her and never took his eyes off me. And I'm a very unthreatening-looking woman. I said, "You must feel very safe with him." She laughed and said, "Oh yes."

[milestogo]

51. Some dogs are subtle about it.

I had a big teddy bear dog who never growled or barked. But if I were talking to a man outside he would lie on my feet. Like "she's mine, don't come any closer."

[shrike3]

54. You had a good dog.

Shepherds as a breed require a strong hand, but they're very loyal. Before I met my husband, he and his daughter had a Shepherd. One night when he wasn't home someone started skulking around the house. That Shepherd was on his hind legs barking as loud as he could. The skulker was gone before the police got there.

[shrike3]

38. It's called being prudent. Or taking precautions. What smart people do.

And I imagine you face some challenges, being trans.

Carrying a weapon's a good idea.

[Skittles]

40. I take very long walks in the middle of the night

but I certainly don't block off my ears, that is a stupid thing to do ANY time outdoors

[shrike3]

41. It's not a good idea to wear ear buds no matter who you are, in most situations. Just my opinion.

Husband and I ride bikes, and cyclists who wear them seem oblivious to what goes around them, which is not a good thing.

[Skittles]

42. it is crazy stupid

yup

[shrike3]

43. Male or female. It's just not a good idea.

Like you said, crazy stupid.

[Wingus Dingus]

44. There are other people out and about in the city streets in almost every scene--

she's not really alone, so it doesn't seem all that menacing. Would be different if she was portrayed running through a deserted park or a dark, quiet area.

[Novara]

49. I'm glad people are discussing this

I was shocked at ow tone-deaf the ad was when I first saw it. The only way I'm leaving my house at 2 in the morning is for a dire emergency.

There seems to be an scoffing reaction to this issue and a cautious reaction to this issue. And the scoffing people seem a bit defensive and brittle about it.

Good for you if you can go through this world without fear but do not belittle those of use who do not. Frankly, that's a shitty way to treat others.

In the ad I noticed she was in a city with plenty of people out at 2 am. I suppose if you were in a brightly-lit area with other people it would be safer than running in the boonies at 2 am, but there are those of us who still wouldn't do it. And I do think it's irresponsible for a major company like Samsung to promote something that many people feel is unsafe.

You guys are right - telling men the precautions we take is interesting because they often act like we're nuts. In my job I am often inspecting properties by myself and sometimes they are empty buildings and I go in alone. I have approached our safety person at work with a proposal for safety training above and beyond the regular safety training we have; specifically how to handle yourself in a sketchy area of town, what to do if you come across a homeless person in the building, what to do if you are confronted, etc., and I was essentially laughed off. Employees have been approached by people carrying guns, I've run into homeless people inside supposedly locked buildings, even I had the police called on me. But we don't have the sort of safety training that guides us in these situations, and there are several women who do this work. And my concerns were dismissed, even after an employee encountered a gun-wielding yahoo. Well guess what? The safety person is a 6'5" male with a big booming voice. I doubt he's ever felt afraid in his life.

[betsuni]

50. +1

[shrike3]

55. I can remember asking a colleague to walk me to my car after dark.

He mocked me. Never asked again.

I think your suggestion re safety training is a great idea. Granted, the odds of actually having to use it are small, but it only takes that one time. Too bad your safety person pooh-poohed it.

[Jedi Guy]

59. When I worked the late shift at my last job, my stop time was 10:30 pm.

Our office was located in an older shopping center in the downtown core and is pretty sketchy even during daylight hours at times.

One of the ladies in underwriting was harassed while walking to her car and it really rattled her even though nothing further happened, thankfully. I told her I'd walk her to her car next time.

I'm a big fella with a shaved head and a beard. I must have "resting asshole face" or something because ever since my teens I've had people tell me I look intimidating until they get to know me.

It wound up being a group thing for all the ladies who finished work at that time or a little before, and the time it took often as not involved missing my bus, but I never minded it. I got the fear/unease they felt even though I didn't feel it myself. No woman should have to feel that way but alas, this world sucks sometimes.

[shrike3]

60. Thanks for being such a good person.

Our city office had no parking lot, and little legal parking around it. I'd have to park wherever I could, and occasionally in what was literally a dark alleyway. Your co-workers were lucky to have you. Keep being a good man.

[Jedi Guy]

69. Mom and Dad taught me that it's a man's job to protect the women around him.

I realize that today that kind of traditional gender role thinking has icky connotations, but it's not out of a sense of paternalism/possessiveness or some idea that women are weak and can't look after themselves. It's that they shouldn't have to protect themselves, especially not from men. I've got nothing but contempt for men who abuse women (or anyone else, for that matter), no matter what form that abuse takes. Those men are lower than a syphilitic rat, far as I'm concerned.

I'm sorry your coworker mocked you when you asked for his help. That was super shitty of him.

[shrike3]

70. sounds like your parents taught you to be a kind person.

I was shocked this gentleman mocked me. You never know.

[renate]

73. Thank you for being sensitive to their fear instead of dismissing it

I can’t believe some of the comments here—from women, even—dismissing the physical fear that most women have internalized as part of the cost of being female.

In college my now husband was nervous walking home at night after walking me home, and I had no idea because I assumed men felt safe. When he told me that, I didn’t scoff—I felt guilty and grateful. But he also understood that the fear was different for me than for him—he almost certainly would not have ever been raped or killed just for walking down the street. In a college town and really anywhere, that risk is low per occasion but still very real for women.

[Jedi Guy]

74. It would have been really hard not to be sensitive to it, if I'm being honest.

She was really, really shaken by the experience. The jerk who harassed her followed her for a few minutes and was saying some really disgusting things, from what she told me. All I had to do was look in her eyes and see the dread she felt at the idea of walking to her car again at the end of her shift that evening. It was the easiest thing in the world to offer to walk with her. It cost me nothing except time but made her (and the other ladies who ended up joining us) feel immensely better.

As for the comments... well, some folks have a hard time putting themselves in the shoes of another. I'm glad for them that they don't feel that fear, but it's one thing not to feel it oneself and another to insist that no one should ever feel it.

I think the majority of the time men do feel safe, though it depends on a lot of factors, not least the guy in question. I certainly wouldn't go walking downtown late at night for funsies, I'll put it that way. But as I mentioned, I'm a big fella and I apparently look mean, so I wouldn't worry too much about someone screwing with me.

And even then... being robbed or beaten up is vastly different from being raped. There's really no equivalence between the two, and that's the difference between what men and women are likely to feel about walking alone at night.

[Demovictory9]

71. walking in the dark feels differently by body type.

that's my opinion based on who I see out walking at night.

I was walking from the bus stop one night. a guy happened to be walking in the same direction behind me.
He was self aware enough to cross to the other side of the street after greeting me. I could tell he knew I was nervous.