Racy Mountain Bike Ads Rejected by Magazine

Three new print ads for Titus Cycles were rejected by Mountain Bike Action magazine, presumably for their racy content. The ad agency is trumpeting the rejection in their press materials, for reasons we’ll explain in a moment. First, take a look at what the fuss is about:

 

The ads, by TDA Advertising & Design of Boulder, Colorado, make the case for splurging on an expensive mountain bike during hard times. “It’s worth a second job,” says the tagline. The ads were shot by two Boulder, Colorado-based photographers: Andrew Chapman (the nude model and the phone sex worker), and Brooks Freehill (the girl scout). Art directors were Thomas Dooley and Matt Leavitt, and the copywriter was Jonathan Schoenberg.

So what’s the upside to announcing that your ad was rejected by Mountain Bike Action? In the month since Proposition 8 passed in California, gay rights supporters have been running a shame campaign against people who gave money to support this anti-gay-marriage statute. Actions have included boycotting businesses owned by people who supported Prop 8. On that list: Roland Hinz, president of Hi-Torque Publications, which owns Mountain Bike Action.

Comments

[Mike]

Don't really get it, yet...

Roland Hinz rejects the ad, and he was a supporter of the Prop. 8... but I don't see the connection between both.

[Daryl Lang]

Sorry for the confusion: The ad agency considered it a badge of honor (or at least a good story) to be rejected by a company owned by this anti-gay-marriage campaigner.

[Annie Libby @ outLOUDstock.com]

Perhaps Hinz has issue with TDA Advertising & Design as according to their "us" page, their janitor cleans in the nude and therefore must be part of the so-called "gay agenda."

[jim golden]

these are great!

[stikman]

Roland is a known wacko and solicitor of trash, not surprising.

[Andrew Haliburton]

These made me laugh; I think they are great! But then, I ride a bicycle every day, in the Northwest... Much better than some past ads for the same bicycle company that I did feel were over the top.

[Andrew Haliburton]

These made me laugh; I think they are great! But then, I ride a bicycle every day, in the Northwest... Much better than some past ads for the same bicycle company that I did feel were over the top.

[Keesha Hervey]

I think the ads are great! If I saw that, I would have given it a second and maybe a third look and really laughed. They made a big mistake not printing them, but I'm glad the photographers found a silver lining.

[Giulio Sciorio]

The ads are boring, safe, anything but racy. MTB Action must be having a great year if they are rejecting such simple ads.

[eric f.]

My thoughts exactly. Magazines can afford to REJECT ads? Not to mention that these are far too tame to reject.

[klose]

I dont think those ads should be rejected but i can understand roland hinze supporting prop 8 i think its right!

[fat bob]

Who cares? That magazine sucks and only kids read it.