Johnson and Evinrude ads with... Topless women? Indeed!

[Scream And Fly]

When I first came across the first of these, I thought it had to be the result of Photoshop shenanigans. I mean, why and how would OMC introduce ads with blatant and shameless nudity and even some sexually-suggestive taglines?

Nearly all of the OMC ads I've ever seen were consistent with the carefree boating lifestyle that promulgated the industry's core values of boating as a family-friendly activity for all ages. Not that there's anything at all fundamentally wrong with this more adult interpretation of boating fun - it's just that the shock value of the encounter superseded any thoughts about wanting to buy a Johnson or Evinrude outboard. But I guess that was the point!

Yes, these ads are indeed legitimate. I did some research into them and as I expected, it was very difficult to find out their origin. From what I have been able to find out there were four ads in this series that appeared in... Get ready... Playboy magazine in the winter of 1980. They may have appeared in other adult magazines in multiple markets. I suppose that makes sense - where else would this material find itself? I would really like to find out some metrics on how these ads performed back then and whether the ad campaign was considered a success. I know of no other similar ad campaigns from OMC after this one.

I debated to myself whether or not I should post these, but I felt it was such an interesting part of the history of OMC that it should be shared. And now I present you with this bizarre piece of outboard engine history. Sorry, I had to obscure the nudity. I think you get the idea though.