![\"interbest\"](\"http:\/\/www.ultimatefatburner.com\/ufb-blog\/files\/2010\/06\/interbest.jpg\")
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The tactic is similar:\u00a0the use of outrageous, offensive\u00a0“humor” to attract attention to a business.\u00a0 And Lord knows these billboards are attention-grabbing… I don’t see how ANY passing motorist could ignore them. But like Outpost.com,\u00a0the ads have\u00a0FAIL written all over them.<\/p>\n
Think about it… If I\u00a0were a business owner contemplating a billboard ad for\u00a0my products\/services, would these images\u00a0make\u00a0me\u00a0want to buy\u00a0one of those\u00a0billboard spaces? I think not…\u00a0 If I thought they were funny, I wouldn’t be inclined to cover\u00a0them up.\u00a0 And – more to the point – if I thought they were offensive, I would NOT want to give my business to the insensitive jerks who put\u00a0them up in the first place. So, while\u00a0they\u00a0definitely grab\u00a0my attention – just like Outpost.com’s ads did –\u00a0they do\u00a0exactly jack to sell me on the service being provided.<\/p>\n
And these\u00a0ads really ARE offensive.\u00a0\u00a0Unlike Outpost.com,\u00a0they aren’t pretending to\u00a0be outrageous\u00a0– those are pictures of real people that\u00a0passersby are being invited to mock. That the figures are headless (and thus, anonymous), doesn’t make it any less cruel – in fact, it serves to dehumanize the models further.\u00a0\u00a0Portraying them\u00a0in their underwear is the final indignity, as no one voluntarily\u00a0strips down to\u00a0their skivvies in public. These ads are about degrading and humiliating overweight people, which\u00a0is neither edgy nor funny.<\/p>\n
Sigh…<\/p>\n