Storm in a C-cup? Bare breast billboard causes a stir in Bulls

Bulls billboard,Marton. video by Stuart Munro

It's a storm in a C-cup.

A billboard in Bulls has at least one resident hot and bothered.

An ad for Tom Ford perfume on Bull's main street showing bare breasts appeared in the town recently.

The billboard is advertising the business of importer Michael Adams of Designer Direct.
Bulls resident Helen Cooper said she spoke to Mr Adams outside his shop on Saturday morning and he said the sign would be down by Monday.

"I pointed out it was right behind the bull sculpture and lots of people stopped to take photos. People would take photos of their kids on the bull and there would be the billboard in the background."

She said he had agreed it was in the wrong place and would take it down by Monday.
It was still standing on Tuesday afternoon.

"I don't mind the billboard, But it's in the wrong place."

The bull sculptures are new to Bulls and four have been placed around the town and in Scotts Ferry.

Prior to talking to Mr Adams outside his shop, Mrs Cooper had written him a letter outlining her concerns.

"I have explained to him people here have put a lot of work into promoting Bulls but this was detrimental."

Mr Adams has promised a racy billboard will be moderated before the week's end.

The billboard promotes a men's cologne which he sells in his recently opened Bulls store. It features a bottle of cologne between a woman's breasts. A pair of hands discreetly covers some of the bared breasts.

A billboard advertising Michael Adams Designer Direct business in Bulls displaying Tom Ford perfume in the centre of Bulls. Photo / Bronnie Cooper

The billboard sits directly behind a statue of a bull on the northern entrance to the town on SH1.

Mr Adams said it was never his intention to offend anyone and as a result of being approach by one local he been in touch with the signwriters and a new vinyl image would be put across the billboard "either tomorrow or Friday".

He chose the location because it was an ideal site given the amount of traffic that went past it daily. The billboard only went up last Friday.

Mr Adams moved from the Auckland suburb of Newmarket to the Rangitikei town in November, opening his store in what had been the Westpac Bank building.

He has other signs already in place and more would be coming but he said the others could not be classified as risque. He said getting the billboards in front of passing traffic was in ideal way of generating business.

"Our promotional campaign is targeting that passing traffic. And you've got to admit the model in the billboard has a nice pair of hands," he said.