You really do have to wonder what goes on in the heads of the marketing types at certain bike brands.
Whilst some brands in the cycling industry do everything they can to ensure women are catered for and made to feel welcome in the cycling world, others just don’t get it.
Exhibit A : Colnago, who for some reason posted a tweet on Friday which showed a woman draped over an oversized bike in a suggestive pose which didn’t really imply she was ‘ready for a ride’.
Thankfully, the general response was ‘unimpressed’ and the cycling community responded with keyboard delivered wrath by the bucket load.
@Colnagoworld I fixed your tweet. pic.twitter.com/CIM392qgo5 — Jay McKinnon (@opendna) October 26, 2015
@Colnagoworld you are lucky your bikes are so beautiful because your marketing sucks donkey balls. @gcntweet
— Richard Poole (@ranpoole) October 23, 2015
@Colnagoworld Thanks, I’ll take my business elsewhere. These kinds of sexist and objectifying ads help me be an informed consumer. — Christina Fleming (@tina85ln) October 25, 2015
@Colnagoworld No. Just no. It’s 2015. Not 1975. pic.twitter.com/dEUmt9HA0l
— Paul de Gregorio (@pauldegregorio) October 26, 2015
We could dwell on the situation further – but we’ve already outlined the key reasons behaviour like this has absolutely no place in the cycling industry here.
Hopefully the negative reaction the tweet has received will help Colnago’s marketing department to move into the 21 century with the rest of us.
EDIT
Colnago have now deleted the tweet, and posted a response to the criticism received – saying:
“Colnago deeply regrets the recent posting of an image and accompanying social media post that is offensive to women, and not at all appropriate. Colnago has long-supported women’s cycling and continues to provide such support, we do not condone sexism, on or off the bike, and sincerly apologize for posting the image. Our social media policies have been clarifed internally to prevent such posts from happening in the future. We respect all members of the Colnago community, and we appreciate the needed feedback many have provided to us on this matter.”
