Crazy Domains - I am going to end you, fuckers.

[logansrogue]

So there I am, watching an admittedly horrible TV show. Most Shocking Police Chases or something like that. But it's off-season TV, I'm hanging with my Mum, my Dad, my brother and my teenaged nephew. We're all pretty bored at this time of year so we're watching.

And then an ad for Crazy Domains dot com dot au comes on. You notice I spell out the domain - I don't want any additional traffic going to these jerks. They're banking on Pamela Anderson's sex appeal in the most explicit and exploitative way possible.

Ad starts out that a bunch of executive types are in a board meeting. Pamela Anderson is at the head of the table, dressed as a Sexy Executive. A hot brunette secretary comes in. One of the male executives (a run-of-the-mill regular type guy mind you) starts drifting off to fantasy land. That fantasy land?

Pamela Anderson and the hot brunette secretary in gold bikinis, covering themselves in cream. I shit you not. The cream is so glip-gloppy, so milky, so CUMMY, it's hideous. And I'm sitting here, with my family, my teenaged nephew, my brother, my Dad... and I feel like I'm worth NOTHING.

I feel objectified, I feel belittled, I feel humiliated, I feel invisible in my OWN FUCKING LIVING ROOM.

For what? Cheap domain names. Cheap. Fucking. Domain NAMES.

I look to Mum and I say, "Who do I have to write to to end this?"

Mum didn't have much hope. But I'm going to be calculated, my darlings. I'm going to see exactly what would make a difference to these douchebags and expend my energy cleverly, effectively and resoundingly.

Consider this post the brainstorm session. What can we do to stop this shit?

ETA: To any review boards reading this post, may I just say that the title of the post isn't literal? I just wanted the ad off the air. I'm quite indifferent to CrazyDomain's continued existence as a business. I just didn't want that horrible ad on the air any longer. As far as expending my energy, I am a second generation feminist. I've seen complaints go wrong, and end up bringing the company publicity in a positive way, so I was merely talking about making sure that this didn't happen, and that I didn't expend my energy uselessly (I have a chronic condition so this is a real concern for me).

As far as the expletives go, I think I have a right to swear in my own adult-rated online journal to my friends. I haven't been libelous, I have just stated my overwhelming anger. I hope you understand. Being subjected to soft porn in front of male relatives is a little humiliating.

Comments

[poeticalpanther.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna misquote Shakespeare here: "First, we kill all the ad-men..."

Seriously, I've no idea how we stop this, or I'd be implementing it. Sorry you had such a revolting experience. This is why if I want to watch anything anymore, I just PVR the stupid thing and watch it sans commercials.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm going to make a damned good attempt. I want to make them wish they never fucked with women on the internet.

Like, you know, the ad is targeted to men. Because women don't buy domain names, do they? OH no. Not me. Not with my real name domain name and my comics domain name and my OTP Xena pairing domain name... no, women don't buy domain names AT ALL.

I figure maybe using Twitter or Facebook might help. I'm womanning the harpoons, yo.

[twice-immigrant.livejournal.com]

And I think you're awesome for it - pointed over here by lovecraftienne. Let me know if you want some Shaker assist on that - we could ask Liss about the blog roll, or I could even put something up m'self.

[boomstick.livejournal.com]

I have to wonder what made Pamela and random no-name lady think it was a cool idea to star in those ads in the first place. I hope they at least got paid a ton of money for embarrassing themselves like that. What a lame commercial :\

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

It really is terrible, isn't it? The lack of effort offends me almost as much as the blatant sexism. >:(

[boomstick.livejournal.com]

It *might* be different if they had a similar ad with an average-looking woman fantasizing about two really hot guys that was played just as much, but I also think any ad that sexual should only be played on certain channels or really late at night.

I mean, sex does sell, but let's be fair people. Women fantasize too!

[asweetdownfall.livejournal.com]

...I don't even know what to say to that. That is just..beyond disgusting. :/

[bunny-m.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I couldn't watch more than the first 20 seconds or so, and already I'm disgusted.

*goes off in search of some BrainBleach™*

They're banking on Pamela Anderson's sex appeal in the most explicit and exploitative way possible.

Pamela Anderson has sex appeal? She's only marginally less unsexy than Paris Hilton. *shudders*

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Let's not travel down the "Pam is a scrag" route? Misogyny is no better than sexism. I'm not crazy about highly made-up, post-plastic-surgery women either, but the last thing that helps anyone is to disparage those women. They're victims of the same societal pressures as anyone else.

[angriest.livejournal.com]

Go here for all the relevant information on how to file a complaint with the ACMA over offensive television.

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

I was pretty appalled by that ad.

The low end of the domain name business is pretty much full of bottom feeding scum (there are a lot of scammers, etc) but from the domain name side of things (I do some domain name politics stuff) there isn't much that can be done unless they are scamming - just having really sexist advertising is a job for ACMA etc.

Re: Hello Neo-feminists

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. So I complain about an ad, and you find out all my information and threaten me?

And then you think I don't have a reason to be concerned about ads like these?

My Mum is proud of me and my beliefs. She's happy to stand next to me and say I am her daughter.

You can try to victimise me, but it won't work. One call to the police, mate. One call.

Re: Hello Neo-feminists

[nexusofreality.livejournal.com]

Your the one making threats idiot, im just advising you its not a GOOD IDEA to make threats, i make no such threats :)


I see you cant hold up against my argument :)

Keep living the life mate, im gonna enjoy my well paid job, my nice car, my nice house, things i _earnt_ without complaining about "da man" keeping me down :)

With love
Nexus

Re: Hello Neo-feminists

[nylonpanties12.livejournal.com]

Get back in your box. Knob.

Through having this argument

[nexusofreality.livejournal.com]

I am through having this argument, there really is no point: All i will do is enjoyyy this commercial so much and enjoy that company will probably have and just think of you every time i watch it :)

Have a great life: One day youll wake up and stop blaming others for your own failures

I might have to start watching more TV just to enjoy it :)

Re: Through having this argument

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Awww, you're giving up already?! I'm sorry, was I making too many good points? Using too many big words to tax your brain? Man, you're pathetic! We barely got started!

You kids have no staying power these days. I remember in Usenet days that flame-wars would go on for days!

And dude, if enjoying a stupid ad like that makes you happy, sure, go for it. I'm not going to stop you.

Oh wait - that's right, I'm giving it the old British TRY. ACMA shall be hearing from me tomorrow, and my feminist friends will help.

Happy New Year!

Re: Through having this argument

[hotclaws.livejournal.com]

Who do you blame for your neanderthal attitudes? Because someone is sure at fault with your upbringing and education..

Re: Through having this argument

[ophelia-begins.livejournal.com]

so at this well paid job of yours i assume they don't require you to learn how to spell?

please DO having something fall on you. Something heavy.

Re: Through having this argument

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

ROFLMAO!!!

did you complain?

[bertha80.livejournal.com]

Thought you might be interested to know that somebody complained to the Advertising Standards Board about the ad, and it was held to be in breach of their Code.

But even more interesting, in its response (disagreeing with the finding) the advertiser put in a link to your blog, suggesting that the complaints were 'launched maliciously by a group of persons with vested interests'.

Vested interests ... somebody needs to get the dictionary out I think.

Report is here: http://www.adstandards.com.au/pages/casestudy_c.asp

Re: did you complain?

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

*gasp* They linked to me? ROFLMAO.

I am a lone offended feminist, pissing in the wind. For once, my aim ended up to be true.

Oh, and I was one of FORTY written complaints. I did not liaise with anyone. I merely let others know that I was complaining, and where to complain if they were also offended.

So, LOL. Yeah, this is how society works. If they don't like it, they can cry in their cornflakes.

Re: did you complain?

[bertha80.livejournal.com]

I can't see anywhere in the report that it indicates the 40 complaints. Interesting, hey? The advertiser gets not one but two bites at responding; the 40 complainants just get a 'sample' quoted.

Did they not send you the report?

I am still processing the idea that a feminist is seen as having a 'vested interest'. Two things wrong with that: having a set of beliefs is not a *vested* interest because you get no tangible benefit from the outcome. Second, even if your interest is 'vested', so what? It's quite well accepted that competitors will complain about ads that breach the codes ... in fact why would anybody *without* an interest complain?

Anyway, well done to you because as far as I can tell it's pretty unusual for a complaint to be successful. Go logansrogue!

Re: did you complain?

[softestbullet (from livejournal.com)]

YOU ARE SO AWESOME.