Ford is in major hot water over a leaked mock-up featuring the Kardashian sisters tied up and gagged in the trunk of a car with a winking Paris Hilton in the driver’s seat.
In response to the ad, the Kardashian family lawyer told E! News that the sisters “do not take this lightly and they are exploring all of their legal options” against those responsible.
“The ‘leave your worries behind’ Ford ads are disgusting, vile and offensive to all women,” the lawyer continued. “It is unacceptable that Ford would align itself with an ad agency that would so carelessly release these ads.”
The ad was created by the automaker’s India-based advertisement team, JWT India, with the tagline “Leave your worries behind with Figo’s extra large boot.”
The ad first appeared on the Web site Ads of the World and has been pulled after drawing backlash. A similar ad of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi throwing a peace sign from the front seat while three women appear bound and gagged in the trunk has been removed as well.
Ford quickly issued a formal apology after the ad went viral. They told Business Insider, “We deeply regret the publishing of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within WPP Group. These were never intended for paid publication and should never have been created, let alone uploaded to the Internet.
“We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened. The posters are contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford and our agency partners”