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Yes, action ought to be taken right away. That way, we won't look like a bunch of dorks in short pants. Instead we'll look like a bunch of whiny dorks in short pants.
This ad basically says that a black man (and by extension any man) looks ridiculous and is not a man unless they drive a car.
This macho crap calls for a tranny ride.
I also think I know where they shot this and that white wall seems like an attractive surface for some counter advertising.
Here's the other Farmers Insurance anti-cycling ad, in case you didn't see it in the other thread.
Hard to believe the company is so concerned about losing car insurance revenue that they would dedicate two ads to humiliating potential bike commuters, but I can't think of another reason for the onslaught.
One of the reasons I stopped owning a car in the first place.
I always looked at the mandatory insurance law as a form of socialism.
Not to mention that if I drove for five, or ten years without an accident, I would just be filling someone else's pockets.
Fuck that!!!
I don't know what is so "socialist" about mandatory car insurance. It sounds like good old-fashioned corporate welfare to me.
Anyway, these big companies are sensitive to lots of complaints. Register yours today.
Don't be afraid of being called "whiny," that's always been a tactic of the powers that be to marginalize people who have a legit gripe, as in "Quit complaining, if you hate it here just move to Russia or China." They called Martin Luther King, Jr. "whiny" too.
Alex Thompson wrote:
Dude - I look ridiculous regardless of whether I drive a car.
Correct.
Have you ever seen me naked?
No. It's on my to do list. 1001 things to do before I die.
Totally weird, definitely worthy of ridicule.
Yes, but that's because of your ears. Nothing to do with your lower extremities. If only we could combine your ears with my gapped tooth smile we could have real winner.
thanks for the links. i too was offended and heres my piece of mind. i commented this on their page.
check it out:
I noticed this add and was deeply disturbed and offended. Why encourage current bike-commuters to call you to get them back in there cars. As if riding a bike to work is such a burden or a bad thing. That ad is absurd! Instead you should take the innitiative to encourage driving less and commuting more by bicycle, foot or public transportation and further more by promoting this you should give your public transportation using and bike commuting clientelle a discount on their rates for driving their cars less. More bikes, less cars is what i say. This add only portrays the narrowminded car consumed and car dependent marketing staff in your company. Way to go idiots.
sincerely,
Eddie "GOpez" López
CHECK OUT YOUR OWN ADD ON YOUTUBE YOU IDIOTS...
here's the description since your stupid comment page cant hold a url address:
To save money due to the rising cost of gasoline, a businessman rides his bicycle to work. To help with the rising costs of operating a car,
What? I think my trickster roommate broke into my computer last night. I didn't write Katie Exhibits Restraint or whatever, nor did I write that last post. That roommate. He's got a weird sense of humor.
Those insurance company ads tell me only that they're scared. They're taking biking seriously as a threat, and this is a good thing -- shows that biking is growing in numbers and in strength, and that people are taking note. Their response is unfortunate, but it's not surprising.
Katie! Not only do you break the rules by having two logins, but you sully my good name with wild accusations! I'm gonna tell your mother about this.
And then I'm gonna sharpie you again in your sleep.
I'm surprise there hasn't been a "anti-statefarm" video produced yet. There could be two variations, one a total spoof on "jim" and the second a more "counterstrike" type of video.
The second video could stress the benefits about riding a bike to work, ie health, less polution, bikes are for love, etc ...god knows a lot of people i've seen out and about could use the exercise.
State Farm and any other car insurance company could care less about alienating bike commuters. It's not exactly a big demographic and probably half don't have cars in the first place.
But the ad sucks anyway so I posted a snarky email complaint at State Farm's site.
Fucking A! They shot that commercial next to my work at Torrance (I notice the round buildings anywhere).
Well the ad seems fitting since there's not a lot of bikers in the South Bay still when i'm riding to work on Torrance Blvd :(
I don't know what to make of this ad. It seems like the guy's saving money on his gas prices, getting hit on by chicks, and as long as he's using state farm, he'll just save more money by not being a risk on the road. The farmer's ad is more condescending and worse imo.
It was pointed out to me by a friend that the voiceover at the end of the State Farm spot is done by Patrick Dempsey who is something of a cycling enthusiast. Oh The Ironicality!
I wrote State Farm and Farmers in regards to the lameness of their respective ads. So far nothing from Farmers, but the following response from State Farm was in my inbox this morning. The power of the pen baby!
Thank you for your email regarding our advertisement that features a cyclist riding his bike to work. We have read your concerns and those of others with similar concerns. We take very seriously each letter, email and blog comment we receive.
I discussed the perception of this ad with others at State Farm, and we decided the right thing to do would be to discontinue it. We will remove this ad as quickly as possible from the current rotation schedule.
We are sorry the advertisement offended anyone. Our intention with this particular ad was to recognize and empathize with the everyday challenge of high gas prices, and suggest that State Farm could help by providing lower auto insurance rates than a person may be receiving from their current provider. But, clearly we have heard your concerns.
This change is being communicated directly to those who have corresponded with us, but I also ask that you pass this message along to others whom you know have a similar concern about this ad.
Please know that State Farm is very concerned about doing what we can to improve the health, safety and environment in our communities. For example, in numerous states, employees can earn up to $1.50 a day by ridesharing, walking, or riding a bike to work. We also have more than 1,200 employees participating in van pooling throughout the country."