Callaway Golf has apologized for an ad that was supposed to be funny but has instead been accused of promoting violence against women.
The video ad showed pro golfer Garrett Clark running over and tackling female pro Alexi Mietowski to the ground as she reaches toward his golf bag to grab his new Callaway driver.
“No NOT touch my new driver,” Clark says to the floored Mietowski.
WATCH:
But almost as soon as the ad spread across the Internet, the company — along with its partner Good Good Golf — ended up being accused of promoting violence against women.
Both companies quickly issued statements apologizing for the ad, and the video was removed.
“We posted a video to our channels that ultimately depicted actions that are not aligned with our values as a brand,” Good Good Golf said in its statement on Saturday. “We have since taken that content down, and sincerely apologize. Good Good has always stood for making the game of golf more inclusive to all, and we will continue to ensure that is our mission going forward.”
For its part, Callaway also apologized and said that it should never have approved the ad in the first place.
“Last week, Good Good Golf and Callaway posted a video to promote a co-branded driver. While the video was produced by Good Good, it was approved by Callaway prior to posting. That approval should never have happened. Mistakes were made, and we are taking the matter very seriously,” the company wrote.
“As we deal with the consequences of our mistake and complete our investigations, I want to make it clear that we sincerely apologize for the video. The content was inappropriate and does not reflect our values. To be clear: we are unequivocally against discrimination, domestic violence, or threatening behavior of any kind.”
The ad was blasted by many on social media:
On the other hand, many X users blasted Callaway for invoking “diversity and inclusion” in the statement apologizing for the ad:
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