New York Times Requests Frames Bowling Lounge Tone Down Racy Advertising
New York, NY--- Frames Bowling Lounge in Midtown has long been known for striking advertising, but has recently been told by the New York Times that a particular online banner they had been running for 2 months had gotten too many complaints and would be taken down.
"We are too conservative [a publication] to run an ad like this", responded Mr. Cohen, an Advertising Rep at the Times when asked to continue a campaign Frames Bowling Lounge had submitted for their new, more intimate CUE Billiards Lounge. "[Your model] needs to be covered up more".
The ad features a beautiful blonde woman lying on a billiards table and reads: "Gentlemen, Its Playtime". Needless to say, it had been getting the best click-through rate in the history of banner ads run by the Frames NYC Bowling brand.
In an email exchange, the ad rep went on to explain: “The photo of the woman and the [tagline] “Gentleman it’s playtime” looks demeaning to women, to a good portion of our readership.
“To keep the wording and the girl in the ad, we would suggest that they use a visual of her playing pool or bowling or some other sport offered at their site, rather than in a reclining suggestive pose. Better yet, have a photo of a man and a woman participating in a sport. “
Frames is no stranger to controversial advertising. Just last year, their marketing department had pitched a print ad to CRAINS, a business-centric publication read by affluent corporate executives. The creative featured a blindfolded woman holding a raw steak and read: Now Introducing, Steak and Bowl. The ad rep refused to print it and Frames went on to pull all advertising revenue with CRAINS for the remainder of 2012.
The Real Deal, NY Post and Village Voice have all run the ad with no fanfare. Even the Wall Street Journal had approved the striking creative, and Frames will be featuring the ad on its site next month. However, the New York Times banner has since been changed, and is receiving far less attention.
Apparently, the liberal NY Times audience does appreciate some post-work Playtime.
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