Jack in the Box Just Launched One of the Most Tone-Deaf Ads of the #MeToo Era

Let's get this out of the way: Yes, juvenile humor is still OK. Kmart's "Ship My Pants" spot is still just as funny, charming and joyously silly as it was in 2013. What's not OK, especially after all the tales of hostile work environments that have been highlighted by the #MeToo movement, is an ad that celebrates sexual innuendo in the workplace, which is exactly what Jack in the Box and agency David&Goliath have done with a new ad called "Jack's Bowls." The spot, which is basically a minute of incessant genital jokes, promotes the brand's new teriyaki bowls by having fictional executive Jack reference them as testicles. "You've got some pretty nice bowls there," Jack tells a male colleague, "but so does Dan." A female employee then also compliments Dan on his "nice bowls." In perhaps its most telling moment, the ad tries to go meta by having a lawyer explain to Jack that the campaign is inappropriate, but (in a commendably accurate portrayal of male executives), he doesn't understand what the fuss is about. [kickout id="1"] In a joint statement, the brand and agency defended the spot, telling Adweek that the ad is not referencing the high-profile #MeToo movement, which has raised awareness of how women across multiple industries face hostile work environments due not only to direct sexual harassment but also to "boys' club" culture typified by sexual innuendo and off-color humor in professional environments. “This ad is a creative and humorous expression around the teriyaki bowl, highlighting how a burger brand such as Jack in the Box has the guts—or 'bowls'—to go beyond the usual and serve something other than burgers," says the joint statement from Jack in the Box and David&Goliath to Adweek. "This ad is not diminishing any movement, and we stand firmly against any form of harassment and value those who have the guts to combat it." As part of the campaign, trucks wrapped with a "Only Jack Has the Bowls" message will park near competitors such as McDonald's, Burger King and Carl's Jr. [kickout id="2"] [kickout id="3"] The creatives certainly had no shortage of ball jokes. In the ad's YouTube summary, the brand included 13 more taglines, including "Taste my bowls," and "Get your hands on my bowls." Much like with Pepsi's bumbling foray into Black Lives Matter, one has to wonder about the conversations that lead to an ad like this. Did no one raise a flag? Or did they, only to get shot down as prudes and PC worrywarts? Is it simply tactical baiting of controversy—or, phrased more simply, trolling? In case it needs to be spelled out, here's the insidiousness of frequent off-color, sexualized humor in the workplace, especially when perpetuated by executives: It puts employees—most often women, though certainly members the LGBTQ community and honestly anyone with mature sensibilities—in the unwinnable dilemma of either complaining (making them outcasts in their own workplace) or quietly tolerating it and being enablers of a toxic environment. Can creatives still make genital jokes and sexual innuendo? Sure. Advertising has rolled out quite a few good ones in recent years, including Australian agency Clemenger BBDO's hilariously anthropomorphized testicles, spokesballs for Bonds underwear who bemoan their abuse by uncomfortable undergarments or jarring situations. But when you find yourself reaching for a genital innuendo just because you can, then choosing to place it in a workplace, having it come from the boss and even dropping in a lawyer to sorry-not-sorry acknowledge what a tone-deaf idea this is, then the focus is no longer on your food. Instead, you're putting your workplace culture on display and saying, "We think this is totally OK in the office." Will you sell some bowls to bros? Probably, and they'll perpetuate your lazy joke in their own workplaces. There are viral campaigns. This one's bacterial. CREDITS: Agency: David&Goliath, LA Founder & Chairman: David Angelo Chief Creative Officer: Bobby Pearce Executive Creative Director: Steve Yee Associate Creative Director / Art Director: Sheldon Melvin Associate Creative Director / Copywriter: Matt Kappler Copywriter / Spanish Language: Mauricio Osorio / Camilo Bernal Social Creative Director: Sara Buschkamp Executive Producer: Kara Pierce Senior Broadcast Producer: Juliet Diamond Integrated Producer: Jesse Roberts Group Planning Director: Donesh Olyaie Senior Strategist: Janet Shih Group Account Director: Dominique Branham Account Director: Lisa Wong Management Supervisor: Lindsay Brown Account Executive: Sarah Light Executive Director Business and Legal Affairs: Rodney Pizarro Business Affairs Manager: Yenia Paez Business Affairs Associate Manager: Marlon Pineda Associate Director of Project Management: Genie Lara Senior Project Manager: Amy Chiang Project Manager: Kristin Puopolo Project Coordinator: Cassandra Horne Print Producer: Jenny Wu Art Producer: Kathryn Zambon Production Company: The Corner Shop Directors: Peter Martin Director of Photography: Corey Walter Managing Partner, Executive Producer: Anna Hashmi Executive Producer: Jay Shapiro Head of Production: Jessica Miller Tabletop Production Company: Lucky 21 Tabletop Director: Tom Ryan Executive Producer: John Gilliland Line Producer (Tabletop): Chelsea Tollner Sevadjian Editorial House: Spinach Editor: Cass Vanini (courtesy of Work Editorial) Assistant Editor: Carmen Hu Executive Producer (Post): Jonathan Carpio Executive Producer (Post): Marlo Baird (Work Editorial) Producer (Post): Patricia Gushikuma Color: CO3 Colorist: Sean Coleman Color Producer: Matt Moran Visual Effects: FELL VISUAL EFFECTS VFX Supervisor: Russell Fell VFX Executive Producer: Rachel Koch Mix Facility: Margarita Mix Mixer: Nathan Dubin