Bed maker denounced for 'objectifying women'
Bed maker Hästens has been criticized by Sweden’s main advertising trade association for objectifying women in its latest global marketing campaign.
“In the advertisement they clearly use a naked woman in an objectified way. It’s unfortunate,” said Pia Grahn Brikell, head of the Swedish Advertising Association (Reklamförbundet), to the magazine Resumé.
The ads are part of a major push by the Swedish bed maker to transform itself into a global luxury brand.
Hästen’s “The Bed of Your Dreams” campaign features images of a woman floating over a bed and is the most expensive in the company’s history, according to Resumé.
The ads will appear in Swedish publications Residence, Dagens Industri Weekend, and Affärsvärlden, as well as Vanity Fair, Wallpaper, World Interiors, and Elle.
Hästens spokesperson Emma Sandsjö doesn’t share Grahn Brikell’s opinion of the advertisements, but admitted the company was ready for adverse reaction.
“I think they are beautiful and artistic images. We’ve done tests ahead of time and know that the campaign will succeed internationally,” she told Resumé.
“But we are aware that these advertisements might arouse reactions. Therefore we’ve created different editions. We have one edition where the woman is naked and one edition where she’s wearing a nightgown.”
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“In the advertisement they clearly use a naked woman in an objectified way. It’s unfortunate,” said Pia Grahn Brikell, head of the Swedish Advertising Association (Reklamförbundet), to the magazine Resumé.
The ads are part of a major push by the Swedish bed maker to transform itself into a global luxury brand.
Hästen’s “The Bed of Your Dreams” campaign features images of a woman floating over a bed and is the most expensive in the company’s history, according to Resumé.
The ads will appear in Swedish publications Residence, Dagens Industri Weekend, and Affärsvärlden, as well as Vanity Fair, Wallpaper, World Interiors, and Elle.
Hästens spokesperson Emma Sandsjö doesn’t share Grahn Brikell’s opinion of the advertisements, but admitted the company was ready for adverse reaction.
“I think they are beautiful and artistic images. We’ve done tests ahead of time and know that the campaign will succeed internationally,” she told Resumé.
“But we are aware that these advertisements might arouse reactions. Therefore we’ve created different editions. We have one edition where the woman is naked and one edition where she’s wearing a nightgown.”
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