An estate agent has vowed to remove a “sexist” advert after it received widespread backlash online.
The ad, for Marsh & Parsons estate agent, featured a young attractive woman embracing an older man alongside the caption: “a charming period property with a modern extension”.
Literally, ugh.
The image, which featured on London Underground, was labelled “poor taste” and “dated” by critics.
David Brown, chief executive of Marsh & Parsons, promised to remove the advert.
He said in a statement: “Marsh & Parsons has a recent history of tongue-in-cheek advertisements that compare people to property and reflect that the range of people we work with are as diverse as the types of properties we sell and let.
“We have always tried to get our message across with a gentle sense of humour and up until now, our work has been extremely well-received.”
He said that the campaign featured a “varied mixture of men and women across various cultures and ages” and was intended to “prompt conversation” rather than “alienate” or “cause offence”.
“It would appear that this particular advert - taken apart from the rest of the campaign - has done so and we will be taking steps to remove it as a result.”
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) revealed it was assessing six complaints about the advert.
But not everyone was offended.
A Transport For London spokesperson told The Huffington Post UK: “While this doesn’t breach our advertising policy, we note it is being withdrawn by the advertiser in response to concerns that have been raised.
“We continue to work closely with our advertising partners to ensure they remain compliant with our policy and adaptable if complaints are made.”