Good Good's Bad Ad Decision
- David Pullara
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
There are bad ad decisions... and then there are REALLY F*CKING BAD ad decisions.
But Good Good's decision to produce an ad where a man pushes a woman to the ground and ominously threatens her for touching his golf club takes REALLY F*CKING BAD ad decisions to an entirely different level.
Trigger warning: if you're sensitive to depictions of violence against women in the media, skip hitting play on this one.
I wish this were a fake ad, but it's real.
Well, it was... it was pulled from Good Good Golf's social channels after the inevitable firestorm that followed on social media.
But the internet is forever.
Predictably, the brand issued an apology:
“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” the statement read. “We have since taken that content down and sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission moving forward.”
But OF COURSE the ad aligns with their values as a brand, because if it didn't, it would never have been approved by anybody in the first place.
I had never heard of "Good Good Golf" before yesterday.
But I don't ever want to hear about them again.
P.S. Before writing this post, I considered the fact that sharing it would help promote it using my platform. But I decided the spot is already "out there", and that my sharing the spot and sparking a conversation around how this could happen might prevent it from happening again, so I thought the platform risk was outweighed by the chance to enlighten and ultimately improve. Some will disagree, I know, but I accept that.
P.P.S. After I published this post (on LinkedIn), more information about this situation came to light. Callaway had also approved the ad. Then they issued an apology, severed ties with Good Good, and donated $1 million to organizations that work to “prevent violence against women, provide resources to survivors, and advance education and awareness efforts.” And Good Good's CEO had a few things to say about that, almost impossibly making both companies look even worse.
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