Karmarama ad stunt enrages cyclists

Karmarama has been forced to pull an online cycle safety campaign on YouTube and on a website called Ride-smart.org, after sparking fury among London cyclists whom it branded “stupid twats”.
It is not known whether the campaign was for a client or just an agency PR stunt, as all the elements carried Karmarama branding.
The initiative offered tips for safely cycling in the city, using the slogan: “Ride Smart – Don’t Die Stupid.” It featured locations where cyclists have been killed on the road and linked the incidents directly with rider behaviour. However, as many critics have pointed out, it failed to highlight the responsibilities of other road users.
The agency supported the campaign with posters, featuring limericks, at accident blackspots. One read: “There once was a cyclist named Keith, who rode a fixie, lived out East, a car smashed his head, when he went through a red, now he’s down in the ground deceased.” The YouTube video was entitled “Keith the twat”.
The issue is all the more sensitive following the crash involving Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins, who ended up in hospital last week after being knocked off his bike near Chorley. Two days later British Cycling head coach Shane Sutton was also injured in a crash.
The campaign has fuelled a Facebook frenzy, with comments such as “Deliberately offending your target audience is a pretty terrible way to get your message across” and “The people who designed this campaign are wankers. What’s their address? I’m going round.”
Meanwhile, on Kamarama’s Facebook page, posts include: “What a bunch of f**kwits you are, do you guys have no morals and “Don’t be a twat and do business with these arseholes.”
The YouTube video has now been removed and the Ride-smart.org site has been taken down and replaced by an apology, which states: “We’re very sorry for the offence caused by our efforts to create debate around the critical issue of cycling safety. We’re hugely pro-cycling and wanted to do something that would highlight the plight of cyclists on the road, as well as open up a debate about some of the less smart practices a minority of cyclists follow, like jumping red lights.”
Mark Ames, from top London cycling blog ibikelondon, said: “The message that all road users should take care is no bad thing, but this ‘campaign’ is so uncomfortably ill-thought out, ham-fisted and juvenile it leaves one wondering if they left the work experience kids in charge of the ‘publish’ button?
“If I was an advertiser I’d be checking my brand was safe in the hands of Karmarama if this is the best they can come up with. On the other hand if this is supposed to be some kind of not so clever stunt then sadly, in the week that the 12th cyclist to die in London in 2012 passed away, it’s just not terribly funny.”
In September, Iris found itself under fire on social media after publishing its internal staff benefits book, ‘Iris on Benefits’, which featured staff dressed up as alcohol-swigging, chain-smoking chavs.
UPDATE: Karmarama has claimed that a rogue employee drew up the campaign of their own accord, and it was not sanctioned by the agency or any of its clients.
The agency said it became aware of the campaign yesterday and then issued instructions that all the ads should be taken down.
A spokesman would not say whether the individual had been sacked. A statement said: “This well-intended but misjudged campaign was the initiative of a member of staff who has witnessed two horrendous cyclists deaths on the streets of London.
“We are enormously distressed by the situation which misguidedly aimed to spark debate amongst the cycling community about the need for more responsible cycling and safer roads for cyclists.”

Related stories
Iris faces uproar over ‘chav’ parody