(Trinidad Express) The Massy Stores conglomerate was yesterday forced to remove an advertisement for its insurance arm, Massy United Insurance Ltd, that had drawn accusations of “sexism” from scores of Facebook users.
The advertisement appeared to have caused a stink, particularly among women, who took umbrage to the sticker “Massy United Insurance—God’s Gift to Women”, which appeared with a photograph of a distressed-looking woman next to a car tyre in need of changing.
Some Facebook users shared the advertisement, along with their complaints that the ad was “insulting to women”, “outdated” and “sexist”.
The company later placed a block over the photo and an apology on its own Facebook page, which stated: “Massy United Insurance Ltd respects and values all its stakeholders and apologises for the publication of communication that was considered to be inappropriate.
“Accordingly, in keeping with our organisational values and principles, we have since removed that communication.
“We have strengthened our approval process to ensure that in the future, our messages better reflect who we are as an organisation, committed to acting with honesty and integrity and respecting all stakeholders equally. We wish to thank those of you who provided us with timely feedback and trust that you will continue to do so.”
Massy’s communications office could not be reached for comment yesterday, and it was unclear whether the offending material was marketed via Facebook only.
