A formal complaint has been laid against Ford and advertising firm JWT India for the “inappropriate” advertising of the Ford Figo in India. The print ads manage to take a stab at former Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, as well as Paris Hilton and the Kardashians. The ads have since been pulled.

WPP Group, which holds JWT, told Business Insider:

We deeply regret the publishing of posters that were distasteful and contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within WPP Group. These were never intended for paid publication and should never have been created, let alone uploaded to the internet. This was the result of individuals acting without proper oversight and appropriate actions have been taken within the agency where they work to deal with the situation.

The drawings that were published “by mistake” featured images of a smirky looking Paris Hilton in the front of a Figo, with reality TV rival family, the Kardashians tied and gagged in the boot. The ad featuring Berlusconi placed the former Prime Minister in the position of captor, smirking over a gaggle of bound prostitutes. The tagline for both ads is “Leave your worries behind with the Figo’s extra-large boot.”

The drawing featuring the reality TV show rivals was put together as part of a brainstorming initiative by JWT India, the agency that produces ad campaigns for Ford Figo in that country.

Ford said:

We deeply regret this incident and agree with our agency partners that it should have never happened. The posters are contrary to the standards of professionalism and decency within Ford and our agency partners. Together with our partners, we are reviewing approval and oversight processes to help ensure nothing like this ever happens again.

[Source: Businessinsider]