This is not a sexist ad campaign per se, but it surely is one in bad taste.
Aiming to communicate that Men’s Health Magazine is "all about men," these new German ads by KNSK, Hamburg show images of unhealthy women suffering while doing cardio, riding a bicycle and having a run.
I would think a good ad agency could come up with a witty idea to illustrate the male target demographic of the magazine without resorting to showing women as out of shape and not healthy.
The ads were photographed by Marcel Schaar with creative director Tim Krink and art director Thomas Thiele.
Unhealthy Gender Bashing
Are Men's Health Magazine Ads Sexist or Stupid?
Trend Themes
1. Gender-neutral Advertising - Opportunity to create ads that appeal to all genders equally without resorting to stereotypes.
2. Body-positive Marketing - Opportunity to highlight healthy bodies of all shapes and sizes, creating inclusive advertisement campaigns.
3. Authentic Advertisements - Opportunity to create ad campaigns that accurately represent men, without resorting to gender-stereotypes.
Industry Implications
1. Advertising - Ad agency could innovate with new advertisement campaigns that accurately represent men's health and fitness.
2. Publishing - Publishers could create innovative content that includes diverse body-types in a variety of fitness regimes.
3. Fitness Industry - Fitness pros could create fitness programs that are inclusive of different genders, body types, and health conditions.