Reader Doug sent us the above screen grab of the email announcing the Spirit Airlines MILF (Many Islands Low Fares) sale. He wondered:
What? Milfs for sale? If you go to their website, there it is spelled nice and big for you, M.I.L.F.(many islands low fares). Is this an attempt to be clever and comical, or are they that uninformed?
The email attracted a bit of media coverage, and now Spirit is claiming that they have no idea (wink, wink) what a MILF is, and that the executive that approved the promotion is British. (Apparently, British people don’t have movie theaters or internet connections, the poor things.) Asked whether or not the airline knew the acronym was offensive, Juan Arbelaez, the director of communications for the company’s Latin American market, told ABC News:
“The most obscene thing we’ve noticed,” Arbelaez said, “is what other carriers have charged to fly the Caribbean before Spirit’s $9 fares.”
Cute. We see what you did there.
Airline’s ‘MILF’ Promo Not What You Think [ABCNews] (Thanks, Natalia!)
UPDATE: Reader Rob offers more evidence of the lameness of the publicity stunt.
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@Pylon83:
@Shinobuu:
There’s an episode of ER where Abby’s character is referred to as a ‘MILF’, by a couple of teenagers. When she doesn’t get the reference, they explain, then she replies that she doesn’t have any children.
Then the kid says, ‘Guess that makes you a DILF’, although the D being doctor in this case.
@mac-phisto: I guess the movie just made it more mainstream then, eh?
Anyone remember when Nike came out a running shoe called “Incubus”? They had no clue as to what an incubus was, and ended up pulling the shoes.
The word incubus by itself isn’t going to be offensive to anyone, probably, but just imagine wearing a shoe named after an evil spirit that has sex with women while they are asleep.
It just goes to show you, there are clueless people out there!!
@Buran:
Did you look at the picture of the “Islands” in the ad and the shape they take?
@Buran: Whoa, calm ‘er down, captain. No need to start calling people names to defend this anonymous marketing guy.
I merely pointed out that the phrase the abbreviation is based upon is suspiciously mangled, for a marketing slogan. Marketing people don’t get paid to make bad copy. They are paid well for making ctachy or memorable slogans. It’s more likely they knew exactly what they were doing (that is, after all, what they get paid for). I think that’s pretty reasonable.
And sorry for disappointing you with the class thing. I guess I should have attacked them as being “lame” and having “no taste” and then we would have been buddies.
EKTHESY: Yeah, who ever heard of a mom who wanted to be found attractive, or to have sex. I mean, been there, done that, right?
@krom: Not that I find the phrase MILF particularly offensive, but I’d like to think there’s some middle ground between thinking of someone as attractive or appealing, and objectifying them, you know, defining them solely by their fuckability.
They should team up with a rental-car company so folks can step off the plane and ride a Cougar.
Oh, Spirit Airlines! What would a travel blog be without you?? The double entendres, the imagery, the low fares that few if anyone can actually purchase… But this latest sale, as mentioned in the Consumerist earlier today, is a raising the bar, even for you: The MILF Sale.
@mamalicious: Whats funny is if it had been called the Sucubus no one would have cared…
@Schizohedron: Del Taco is running ads here in Socal which features a big haired, big umm endowed older woman chasing a young guy. They call her a cougar a few times.
@Spirit Airlines keeps it classy with their M.I.L.F. sale on…: Um, how’d you do that?