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YouTube - Controversial AirNZ cougar ad - brilliantly funny
Libby Zay
January 19, 2010
After being labeled appalling and disgusting by a rape prevention group, a recent Air New Zealand advertisement featuring older women on the hunt for young "slabs of meat" has been pulled.
Despite strong opposition, the airline maintains the ad was meant to be a light-hearted spoof and was withdrawn because the airline received an overwhelming number of entries from cougar women, or older women who date young men.
The documentary-style clip details a cougar woman's mating rituals as she prowls around with her girlfriends and stalks a herd of nervous, sweaty young men at a bar. A voice-over says cougars are known for "starving [themselves] on sparse vegetation during the day, then hunting large slabs of meat at night."
In the ad, an overly aggressive cougar woman who "has not tasted meat for days" stalks an unwilling young man that is described as vulnerable and defenseless because he broke away from the safety of his pack of friends. "Paralyzed by her sudden approach," the young man tries to pretend he is gay to ward the cougar off, but is eventually dragged back to her apartment where he is "cruelly made to listen to Enya, or possibly the Eurythmics."
Entries for the "Cougar Pride" promotion abruptly closed last night. The competition had asked women aged 35 and over to send in photographs of themselves to compete for flights and tickets to rugby tournament, the Wellington Sevens, where they would be given cougar costumes and noisemakers to attract the attention of young men at the event.
Campaign manager Duane Perrot said the company ended the sweepstakes because Air New Zealand was "overwhelmed by entries" and positive feedback. Sixty cougar women had entered the sweepstakes.
In a statement, Perrot said: "we are cognizant of the fact that some organizations have raised concerns about the promotion's content."
One such organization is New Zealand's Rape Prevention Education, who labeled the ad "appalling, disgusting, and degrading to women" and demanded it be withdrawn immediately, reported the New Zealand Herald. The organization also said that some Air New Zealand staff members voiced embarrassment and concerns over the promotion.
Director Kim McGregor told the Herald: "They find it degrading and that it is encouraging potentially harmful behavior, so my question is why is our national carrier promotion sexually predatory behavior?"
"We have also had complaints from male survivors who have been raped by women and they are very distressed that their situation is being laughed at and made out to be humorous," added McGregor.
On the other hand, Perrott claims the advertisement was meant to be light-hearted. He said a poll showed 64 percent of voters saw the cougar campaign as "fun."
Other sectors of the travel industry that have attempted to cash in on the cougar craze usually end up ruffling feathers. Recently, Carnival Cruise lines banned Cougar Cruises, but Royal Caribbean came to the rescue, announcing they would host the "Second International Cougar Cruise" later this year. A cougar-themed resort in Mexico is also in the works, and a variety of conventions are being organized in cities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.
Libby Zay
January 19, 2010
After being labeled appalling and disgusting by a rape prevention group, a recent Air New Zealand advertisement featuring older women on the hunt for young "slabs of meat" has been pulled.
Despite strong opposition, the airline maintains the ad was meant to be a light-hearted spoof and was withdrawn because the airline received an overwhelming number of entries from cougar women, or older women who date young men.
The documentary-style clip details a cougar woman's mating rituals as she prowls around with her girlfriends and stalks a herd of nervous, sweaty young men at a bar. A voice-over says cougars are known for "starving [themselves] on sparse vegetation during the day, then hunting large slabs of meat at night."
In the ad, an overly aggressive cougar woman who "has not tasted meat for days" stalks an unwilling young man that is described as vulnerable and defenseless because he broke away from the safety of his pack of friends. "Paralyzed by her sudden approach," the young man tries to pretend he is gay to ward the cougar off, but is eventually dragged back to her apartment where he is "cruelly made to listen to Enya, or possibly the Eurythmics."
Entries for the "Cougar Pride" promotion abruptly closed last night. The competition had asked women aged 35 and over to send in photographs of themselves to compete for flights and tickets to rugby tournament, the Wellington Sevens, where they would be given cougar costumes and noisemakers to attract the attention of young men at the event.
Campaign manager Duane Perrot said the company ended the sweepstakes because Air New Zealand was "overwhelmed by entries" and positive feedback. Sixty cougar women had entered the sweepstakes.
In a statement, Perrot said: "we are cognizant of the fact that some organizations have raised concerns about the promotion's content."
One such organization is New Zealand's Rape Prevention Education, who labeled the ad "appalling, disgusting, and degrading to women" and demanded it be withdrawn immediately, reported the New Zealand Herald. The organization also said that some Air New Zealand staff members voiced embarrassment and concerns over the promotion.
Director Kim McGregor told the Herald: "They find it degrading and that it is encouraging potentially harmful behavior, so my question is why is our national carrier promotion sexually predatory behavior?"
"We have also had complaints from male survivors who have been raped by women and they are very distressed that their situation is being laughed at and made out to be humorous," added McGregor.
On the other hand, Perrott claims the advertisement was meant to be light-hearted. He said a poll showed 64 percent of voters saw the cougar campaign as "fun."
Other sectors of the travel industry that have attempted to cash in on the cougar craze usually end up ruffling feathers. Recently, Carnival Cruise lines banned Cougar Cruises, but Royal Caribbean came to the rescue, announcing they would host the "Second International Cougar Cruise" later this year. A cougar-themed resort in Mexico is also in the works, and a variety of conventions are being organized in cities in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia.
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