Forgotten your jodhpurs, girls? Showjumping's desperate image bid

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Whilst I agree thay are obviously not the classiest of shots... please give them a break!!
I happen to be very good friends with both girls and they agreed to do these shots with the best intentions for our sport and obviously to raise their own profile. However this may have back fired slightly, but I do think having an opinion is one thing but damn right insulting them ie "sterotypical bleached blondes" is another!

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Tammy hardly anyone is slating the girls themselves, it is the powers that be that need a good slap, and the stylist AND the photographer!
 
I don't have a problem with the Girl's attempts to promote Showjumping, that is to be applauded. I do have a problem with the Photo's themselves.
The Girls are Beautiful and highly Talented, they could have been made to look absolutely Stunning.It is the fault of whoever dressed them and proofed these photo's for publication. It looks like it's been okayed by Letchy, Leery old men (Hmm, BSJA....maybe it has!!)
There are some fantastic image consultants around, (If someone from the organisation would like to PM me i could recommend one or two) why oh why don't the BSJA use them...we pay enough in membership, they can't be short of money...
I thought that the days of Dumbing down women in showjumping died out when Ronnie Masserella retired, looks like it's sadly making a comeback.
Please don't take my post the wrong way girls, I genuinely applaud you both for trying, it is not a criticism of you, it is of the people who handled this campaign.
 
Why on earth does the BSJA think that in order to improve their image it is a good idea to take some cheap and trashy pictures of a couple of showjumpers. If they want the sport to appear less "stuffy" and appeal to a wider audience then they are going about it in entirely the wrong way IMO.
 
Awful
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More appropriate for Femail would be an article with female SJs looking great & showing how this is one & possibly the only sport in which women can beat men & get to the top in the world on equal terms.

It is not trying to break stereotype for SJ as when I was a teenager (quite a few years ago!) I spent a lot of time fending off remarks from non riding lads about tight jods, whips, going for a "ride" and feeling quite uncomfortable about it all.This reinforces that image in the worst way possible.

Sorry girls not your fault! Could have been done so much better.
 
i sincerely hope someone from the bsja is reading this and all the other threads i have found in other places regarding it and the ones on the Mail's web site under the offending article.
 
They would of got the message across showing some pictures of the horse and rider in motion with silly captions coming from the horses mouth, would of still been a darn sight more classy than those tastless, trashy, just horrid photos.
 
Its a sad fact of life that "sex" sells so the advertising media seem to think.

I think it is a cheap and tacky message, but no more so than any other advertisment. I often have to attend the Motorshow for the motor trade and often met with a half naked woman drapped over the front of the bonnet, why!

Lets hope that the bsja can turn this around into something more positive- not sure how though.
 
I just don't get how anyone thought these photo's were going to
enhance the image of SJ, these pictures demonstrate the impression most have of the people in the sport anyway. The target audience should have been considered and then appropriate photo shoots done to attract the key audience. The photo posted by Lucretia is really lovely, it portrays a real partnership and a happy, healthy lifestyle, to which anyone can aspire. You'd just need an adoring family in the background and job done. It looks classy.

I am going to get shot down in flames here but I personally don't agree that its ' not the girls fault'. I think you'd have to be pretty dense not to think this through and consider the reaction it might cause. If someone is asked how to promote their job / interest to a wider marketplace not many would come up with this as the answer. I agree they probably didn't put it together but i think they would have had some veto on the final results and the chance for some input. I know I would if I was being asked to promote anything so visually.
 
Because the pictures (not the riders) are not what is expected, it is most probably a positive campaign as it has got into the paper (which otherwise it most probably wouldn't have) generating publicity for the show (which is aimed also on betting people, streotype may appreciate the pictures!!), the sponsor, who may or may not like them and the riders. Now is time to build on the publicity good or bad. At least it has got people talking about the sport. Personally I don't think they are the right image but it is something to work on and the riders are good looking and great sports for doing it.

Many people do not understand what a tough and demanding living it is ( I wouldn't do it) and for the girls to look so great is a great testiment to them and all the other riders. Perhaps now they can get Trinny and Suzanna to do a make over to keep every one else happy.
 
Well said 'The Voice'. As you say it certainly has got everyone talking - even across the water! Good or bad it has created a reaction which is what the media is all about. I agree - some sort of follow up would be great both for the girls who have taken unecessary abuse from this forum and also the BSJA. If they used this to their full advantage they could really turn the whole thing around. I am sure both Georgie and Laura would enjoy the attention and pampering!
 
thanks for the compliment Lhs
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as for saying its is a 'positive' campaign, well maybe it is in terms of numbers of people reading or discussing showjumping who might not otherwise be doing so. i cant think of any other positive attribute.
the pictures are tasteless and badly shot, which is no advertisement for either the photographer or the marketing person who chose them. The fact that someone at the BSJA has decided that 'tits and bums' is the way forward to market their sport is a)unlikely to increase membership B) unlikely to increase family/female viewing/spectating because it will alienate the great majority of them and c) risk angering a great many of the sponsors they would hope to attrach, unless of course it is about to become The Penthouse Super League/Jumping Derby.
Sex only sells in certain areas in others it merely titilates (such a good word in the circumstances
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) or acts in completely the opposite way and start a sales loss. i always thought that you had to be be clear about your target audience when planning a PR campaign and so the other thing this would tell me asa sponsor was that the BSJA had no clue who that is.
Some body mentioned katie price earlier. pity no one with her business acumen is on the team behind this.
 
Show Jumping hasn’t had this much publicity in years – Brilliant!



Do people not realise that unless you resort to these kinds of pictures the press are not interested in giving coverage. Many other Sports have posed naked. These girls are shown in shorts less revealing that some athletes wear on track. Didn’t British Eventing do a calendar? After all we do need to bring the Show Jumping into the 21st Century. If this acts as a springboard to the media it can only be a good thing. Non ‘horsey’ friends are telling me that now that they will definitely come and spectate. Before I would have had to of dragged them!
 
Yeah... well Max Mosley got people talking about Formula One, but I don't think that is the kind of publicity that he wanted to attract.
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Perhaps if those young riders draped themselves around him, you'd be happy with the attention it bought?
 
and strangely, as is often the case in these debats a stranger with no post history appears to defend the indefensible.
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*scurries off to see if someone called andrea works at the BSJA*
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Many other sportspeople have posed naked but does that mean every rider should? The eventers may have done a calendar but, if I remember rightly, it was done for charity and was a lot more tasteful then the tabloid trash that these girls produced. I would be very worried if my non-horsey friends decided to come and watch on the basis of those photos
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Show Jumping hasn’t had this much publicity in years – Brilliant!



Do people not realise that unless you resort to these kinds of pictures the press are not interested in giving coverage. Many other Sports have posed naked. These girls are shown in shorts less revealing that some athletes wear on track. Didn’t British Eventing do a calendar? After all we do need to bring the Show Jumping into the 21st Century. If this acts as a springboard to the media it can only be a good thing. Non ‘horsey’ friends are telling me that now that they will definitely come and spectate. Before I would have had to of dragged them!

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Make the sport sexy, yes that is fine, but honey PLEASE, have you no taste? The photos are tasteless and tacky, nothing more, nothing less. This could have worked SO well - both girls are gorgeous, articulate and more than capable of being classy!

Here I am naked on my horse - less clothes, less *styling*, just bare flesh...you tell me which is more tasteful?!! I am only posting this to prove that naked is better than what was published!

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Show Jumping hasn’t had this much publicity in years – Brilliant!


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Have you noticed there is a bit of a do in Hong Kong in about three weeks? Might get a bit of press if we won a medal there i should think. Slightly sad that the sports ruling body has decided that team has so little chance of winning a medal they coulnt wait a short time before desending to gutter press level.
and weezy picture is much nicer. though i dont know what it wwas in aid of by the way.
 
Carthorse, my feet are SO dirty
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Also long toes = size 9 feet, not good!

Lucretia - it was for charity - that is the only one I have on this computer, the rest I had done (by my OH on a little point and shoot) show lots more flesh but are tasteful.

blackeventer - if your son wants to send me that gorgeous grey to SJ in the series I will happily volunteer for more naked shots
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very well done and for the record, the eventing one has sold over 5000 copies as far as i know so at a tenner each it was well worth it. i suppose the Sun or the Daily sport might offer the BSJA more for therest of their pictures and they can use it to sponsor a super league show at hickstead as no other serious sponsor is going to be intersted in being associated with their idea of tasteful good publicity
 
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