Ukrposhta caught up in scandal over Valentine’s Day ad
7 February 20:06
Ukrposhta found itself at the center of a scandal for the second time in a week. Users of the social network Threads criticized the company’s new Valentine’s Day ad, writes "Komersant Ukrainian".
The reason for the mass outrage among Ukrainians was a joint advertising campaign with a Ukrainian clothing brand, in which users saw inappropriate sexualization of minors. After a wave of hate, Ukrposhta deleted the ad.
The photos showed teenagers in revealing school uniforms, which caused a wave of outrage among users. In particular, many commentators called the models’ poses and images inappropriate and unsuitable for a campaign with the state postal service operator.
The advertising campaign involving Ukrposhta was criticized by Oleg Gorokhovsky, co-founder of monobank. He called it an “obvious mistake.”
After a wave of criticism, Ukrposhta published an apology on its official Instagram page. The postal operator noted that the concept of the photo shoot for the advertisement appealed to memories of the 2000s school years, “with miniskirts, skinny jeans, and the spirit of teenage rebellion.” At the same time, the company acknowledged that it had not taken the context into account and emphasized that it does not tolerate the sexualization of minors.
Igor Smelyansky, CEO of Ukrposhta, commented on the online scandal surrounding the advertisement:
“1. I have not seen the photos prepared by the company for the joint project.
2. I don’t see a problem with those photos, but if a certain part of society sees one, then we will take a pause to make a final decision. The brand team has just posted their school photos and memories that inspired them for this project, which once again convinced me that no one intended anything ‘like that’.
3. If it really doesn’t meet certain standards, then either a new image will be proposed, or we will postpone the collaboration.
4. I don’t accept hypocrisy. When people on social media who don’t hold back on using profanity suddenly become paragons of chastity on par with Mother Teresa (although there are questions about her too), it’s not concern for schoolchildren, but an attempt to ride the hype. Of course, no one watches porn, and certainly no one watches videos like Britney Spears’ Hit Me Baby One More Time.
5. Therefore, we take criticism calmly. Anyone who wants to vent their anger at me or Ukrposhta is always welcome. Especially since the weekend is coming up,” Smiliansky wrote in his post.
