IAO AGD BillBoard Sighting!

[Patron God of Pirates]

I take offense to the notion that respecting women and appreciating attractiveness is somehow mutually exclusive.

Does this mean I have to date ugly girls? Because I cannot respect good looking ones?

I just don't see the connection between sexuality and immorality. If you raise your daughters to respect themselves then you won't halve to worry about men that don't respect them because they won't put up with it. Raise your sons to respect women and they will see that billboard for what it is, a clever joke.

It is not AGD's or any other companies responsibility to raise our children. I treat all people with respect, and I like naked girls too!

That billboard is not smut, it's not even borderline. Is it the classiest billboard around, not even close. But to call it smut is a massive exaggeration. In order for me to loose respect for AGD over it, I would have to buy into the concept that sex in marketing is the "lowest common denominator". I don't, because it's not.

In paintball terms, the "lowest common denominator" is lieing to sell your products. "Further and more accurately", "State of the Art", "Easy on paint because it's low pressure", etc.

I have tried to stay Swiss on this issue up until now. I just think there are much more important things to get our panties in a wad over.

[irbodden]

Originally posted by Patron God of Pirates
I take offense to the notion that respecting women and appreciating attractiveness is somehow mutually exclusive.

Does this mean I have to date ugly girls? Because I cannot respect good looking ones?

I just don't see the connection between sexuality and immorality. If you raise your daughters to respect themselves then you won't halve to worry about men that don't respect them because they won't put up with it. Raise your sons to respect women and they will see that billboard for what it is, a clever joke.

It is not AGD's or any other companies responsibility to raise our children. I treat all people with respect, and I like naked girls too!

That billboard is not smut, it's not even borderline. Is it the classiest billboard around, not even close. But to call it smut is a massive exaggeration. In order for me to loose respect for AGD over it, I would have to buy into the concept that sex in marketing is the "lowest common denominator". I don't, because it's not.

In paintball terms, the "lowest common denominator" is lieing to sell your products. "Further and more accurately", "State of the Art", "Easy on paint because it's low pressure", etc.

I have tried to stay Swiss on this issue up until now. I just think there are much more important things to get our panties in a wad over.

You can like naked women, nothing wrong with that. But the billboard isn't your personal porno stash from Kazza, its an ad for a company. That OTHER people also are subjected to.

Do you think parents bringing their kids to IAO are going to find it "a clever joke"? (Don't tell me familys aren't going, I know atleast 3 teams filled with young-guners making a family vacation out of IAO.) Do you think women will find it "a clever joke"?

If you had a model fully clothed, with a cute little smile, THAT would be "appreciating attractiveness".

Instead, the billboard has a topless lady on it, that is "appreciating attractiveness"? Is that classy advertising? No, its not.

If its not classy, what is it?

SMUT!

-RS

[Patron God of Pirates]

Wow..... That is a wide spectrum of possibilities there.

Classy <-> Smut

Not allot of wiggle room the way you present it. And yes, I think many of the parents at IAO will think it is a clever joke. Unless being a parent automatically transforms you into being uptight.

There is the problem of not knowing what a Warp Feed is, I won't address that. It will probably break even with the number of parents who don't even know what a hopper is.

No sense in arguing it with you given the range of options you left me. I'm not trying to prove the add is classy so it appears we agree.

Edit: My personal poro stash from Kazza? LMAO

[Paul La Rue]

Did anyone go and look at the web site AGD is promoting at the bottom of the billboard?


Now that's great family fun...

[Patron God of Pirates]

NewsFlash!

The link to Mancows site does not appear on the actual billboard. Go back and read Toms comments in this thread.

[Patron God of Pirates]

Originally posted by irbodden
Your point being?

We are talking about the ad on airgun.com...

Since when? The entire debate on this thread up until now has been about "A Billboard in a public place where families will see it".

Whether or not that add is appropriate for a family friendly website on the internet is a wholly different debate.

Edit: Where on airgun.com is that add?

[irbodden]

My bad. I either misread it at a glance or he edited it within 5 minutes of posting..

[Paul La Rue]

Re: NewsFlash!

Originally posted by Patron God of Pirates
The link to Mancows site does not appear on the actual billboard. Go back and read Toms comments in this thread.

Well at least that is a good thing. I must have missed where Tom said that.
Either way, it still falls into the debate about AGD taking up a "sex sells" attitude.

I did quite like the comment about posting pictures from that site here...how long would it take to get you banned doing that do you think???

[irbodden]

Paul, want to find out? LOL

I honestly wouldn't mind trying.. LOL

[Vegeta]

Not going to comment on the matter at hand,

but i agree,
that hopper should not be there.

[1stdeadeye]

Agreement

A wise man once said that he could not define pornography, but he knew it when he saw it. This can also apply to smut. The key here being who sees it. One man's smut is another man's art. I think everyone has pretty much staked out their position on this billboard. I don't think we are going to see to many people crossing over now.

So let's just agree to disagree!

[Patron God of Pirates]

Agreed

PS- Nice use of the supreme court to make your point

[Krazy Ivan]

I think the billboard is very clever. While it does depict a woman in more of a sex appeal type of manner, it's done with at least some class. If the girl was standing with a bikini on that barely covered anything it's more of a subjectification. This is more to make a clever tongue in cheek look at how people design their markers, instead of saying, "hey if you buy my gun, you'll get chicks."

Just my 2 cents, will hopefully drop a quarter in later, but I don't have time now.

[hitmanng]

I am amazed that this is being discussed like it is a new issue. The discussion already happened back in May:
To review the old discussion and save my fingers.

hitmanng
Slayer of Sacred Cows


OK not to beat a dead horse but what exactly was the product this billboard was marketing. I would bet at least 50% of the "target market" does not think much about the warp feed every day. Even on the way to a tourney. They simply wouldn't get it.

To skirts, actually I do look at the billboard thread almost every day and try to reevaluate why people like the ones that they do. Why is this billboard the most talked about?? Because it most makes us think about ourselves and how we want to be represented. Thordic mentioned "families, kids, priests, nuns, doctors, garbagemen, cats, dogs, birds, teachers". Take out the animals and I have seen all of these except the Nun at a paintball field. They are also all a part of our community and all will have a part in deciding whether those in the paintball community are ever invited back to their home. I have to agree with Shartly it is not the pretty women factor it is the class factor.

The billboard never even mentioned the warp feed or what its function is to help you in the game. It clearly states to me "I wish I could move that hopper to get a better look at her". Not a paintball message.

Just my opinion.
Hitmanng

Toms clear response:

AGD
President of AGD (really)

I think I summed it up pretty well with this:

hitmanng
Slayer of Sacred Cows

I must say this is some of the saddest information I have ever heard on this forum. I think Tom has spent way too much time hanging out with Mancow. I can say I did not in the least way find that billboard funny. And I think most who will still won't spend $100.00 on a warp feed because of it. You state you feel you have to go with shock treatment at this stage in the game but 6 months ago you where telling us that AGD is a viable company the way it is and has no need to worry about anything. I am glad you don't have WDP's rep. I didn't think you wanted it. I find it sad that you want to stick in people's mind even under the man is that sick area. At least you do understand the ramification of your actions and that you now have to get the WDP bussiness or bust because your old school loyal fans may not be there in the future for you. I hoped someone took your password and made that post but I know that is not true. I guess Tom Kayes wants to be the new bad guy in town. Good luck to you.
By the way, what was the AKLAMP's website I think I need to buy an Excaliber.
Oh and Tom I finished the billboard for you: Thought it would save you a little time.

Tom's response:

AGD
President of AGD (really)
Remember what I said in the first post, if I had WDP's rep I wouldn't have done the Mancow stunt. NO I don't want to have the same rep as WDP, I think it's one sided and does nothing to represent their engineering skills.

Shock value is a dangerous road to follow because it wears out so quickly. To use a father analogy, if you yell at your kid every day, after a while it becomes normal and your child still doesn't listen. Your only choice is to yell LOUDER and MORE often which is a loosing battle. If you rarely yell and blow up when your kid comes home with a bad report card THAT gets his attention!

Right now, in this situation, with the current state of affairs, I need to hit the donkey in the head with a 2x4(most of you probably don't remember that joke).

AGD

Feel free to read the entire discussion here:

http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=37182&perpage=30&highlight=billboard&pagenumber=4

I am really sad to see this actually happen. As you may have noticed I haven't been around much. I am not giving up on AGD after one billboard but there is a trend being set I really don't want to be a part of.
Hope to see you all soon at Shatnerball.
Your Friend
Gordon

[MagDog68]

Whatever - the board is up and time will tell. I doubt AGD will sell a naked lady trigger anytime soon, so I am not too worried about them ruining their image with one billboard.

Originally posted by Vegeta
Not going to comment on the matter at hand,
but i agree,
that hopper should not be there.

Finally someone has enough CLASS to be totally honest!
~Fred