A campaign from the California Milk Processor Board in the USA has been withdrawn after a backlash on social media accused the ads of being sexist.
The "Everything I do is wrong" campaign was designed to promote milk as a product that can reduce the symptoms associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). A microsite for the campaign focused on the strategy that men were also affected by PMS.
Images on the site featured the taglines, "I apologise for not reading between the right lines", "I'm sorry for the thing - or things - I did or didn't do" and "I'm sorry I listened to the things you said and not what you meant". The words were accompanied by images of contrite-looking men holding cartons of milk as peace offerings.
The campaign was created by Goodby, Silverstein and Partners in San Francisco.
The original campaign website has since been taken down and replaced by a new site called "got discussion?", in response to criticism leveled at the campaign.
A statement on the site said: "Over the past couple of weeks, regrettably, some people found our campaign about milk and PMS to be outrageous and misguided - and we apologise to those we offended. Others thought it funny and educational."
Some of the criticism the campaign received, which was reproduced on the "got discussion?" site, are "Was your advertising created by 50-year old men who have no idea how to be relevant to actual men? Or frat boys who have no experience with women?" and "Wrong: milk ad campaign blames PMS, insults women".
Comedy site Funny or Die has created a series of parody ads which feature the lines, "Milk: Perfect for dissolving roofies", "She can drink it while not voicing her opinion" and "Because her boobs are for you, not your baby".
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