Protein World, Expert Brand Troll, Brings Fat-Shaming 'Beach Body' Ads to NYC

CMO's 'big middle finger' to critics

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Protein World continues to kick sand in the face of its critics.

After generating controversy and much attention for its brand in Britain this spring with its "Beach Body" campaign, the nutritional supplements company is exporting the incendiary advertising to New York.

A huge billboard with swimsuit-clad model Renee Somerfield has risen in Times Square, with its tagline, "Are you beach body ready?" casting a shadow across 42nd Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues. Digital ads are planned for "every New York subway entrance," boasts marketing chief Richard Staveley, along with placements "on 50 percent of all of the New York subway's rolling stock.

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