(The Tens)
UPDATE: Looks like the San Francisco billboard was not an isolated incident. Consumerist reader Matt spotted one on the corner of Indiana and Union Pacific Ave. in East L.A. and sent us the photo at the bottom of the post.
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Earlier this week, the folks at Tecate beer took some heat for a billboard ad in San Francisco that seems to imply that the trees of this world are intended to be used as public restrooms. Realizing that maybe this is not the greatest of PR moves, the company has responded by taking the oversized ad down.
The billboard was first spotted on The Tens Tumblr page and then reported by SFist.com, which also managed to bring it to the attention of Team Tecate.
The beer company responded:
We have an internal process whereby every ad is reviewed for compliance with our local code for responsible commercial communication. As a part of that process, this ad concept was rejected by our US team but unfortunately, an error was made and the ad was mistakenly released and posted. We sincerely thank consumers for bringing this to our attention and have immediately removed the ad. We regret the error and are taking a look at our internal controls to ensure this does not happen again.
Within a day of that post going live, the ad had already been pulled down and replaced with a billboard for some school initiative.
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Here is the photo of the billboard spotted by Matt in East L.A.:
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The ad concept was rejected but somehow it still managed to get put up as a freaking billboard?
Either someone’s making up a good cover story or they have a very serious breakdown in communications and checks and balances within that company.
“We sincerely thank consumers for bringing this to our attention” ….. wow, just wow.
The ad was rejected by the US team – doesn’t mean they never intended to use it internationally. Given that it’s in Spanish, it’s not so far fetched that they accidentally posted an ad meant for Mexico or central America.
Why not eliminate the middle man and pour the Tecate straight onto the tree?
Those poor trees…
Tecate sounds like something you do on someone.
Oh please…there are dozens of these billboards up around the Los Angeles area. I see them every day on my way to work. They also have one with a clothes hanger and the word “Antenna”. So why are those ones still up? Maybe those were meant to be in the US?
I haven’t seen the clothes hanger one, but I see the Bano ad on the 710 North every time I drive to LA. I figured Tecate was trying to tell me to stop drinking such a “manly” beer, like that new Dr. Pepper that’s only for men.
How about the graffiti? Why does everything in cities seem to be covered in it?
Depends on the city. Around here, the graffiti in the city is well controlled, but some of the suburbs have graffiti everywhere.
I honestly thought the graffiti was part of the ad,
“Earlier this week, the folks at Tecate beer took some heat for a billboard ad in San Francisco that seems to imply that the trees of this world are intended to be used as public restrooms.”
… aren’t they?
When we’re out in the woods and somebody has to take a leak they always say,”Hang on a minnit, I gotta go kill a pine tree.”
If you have a penis you’re a SEX OFFENDER.
What’s wrong with peeing on a tree?
Do you have a tree in your yard? If so, can I swing by every coupla hours for relief?
I honestly wouldn’t care. It’s a tree. However, expose yourself to me and there may be consequences.
Have you seen the bathrooms in Mexico?
It’s just a simple case of putting up an ad in the wrong country. No big deal.
I think the point is that they are not exactly being truthful with their excuse. They put a tasteless ad up all around the US in predominantly hispanic neighborhoods and then cried “accident” when people called them out on it.
I would think urine is a great fertilizer. A fertilized tree is a happy tree.
Too salty and acidic. Definitely not what you want on your roots.
And you would know this because?…
Gives the phrase, “Aw…..just piss on it,” a brand new meaning.
Ha, the wife and I saw one ofthose in here in Fresno. I was floored. I just kept asking her, “wait, was that billboard just saying???”
Maybe this means that Tecaté is just good enough for my dog since we all have no problems with dogs pissing on trees.