April 5, 2008

Cosmetics firm 'insults Holocaust victims with Nazi-inspired advert'

An anti-Semitism watchdog has called for a cosmetics company in South Korea to halt an advertising campaign that it said used Nazi imagery to promote a skin lotion.

The television advert for Coreana Cosmetics shows a model, right, in military garb with a soldier's cap that appears to carry Nazi insignia. The slogan: “Even Hitler didn't have the East and West” has been changed to “No one has ever had the East and the West”, but the Simon Wiesenthal Centre said that the advert was still an insult to Holocaust victims. The company behind the advert said it was meant to imply that the lotion could succeed in both East and West, which Hitler had failed to do. (AP)

Cosmetics firm 'insults Holocaust victims with Nazi-inspired advert' - Times Online

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Interesting stuff Kai, I managed to find the two two ads one with the swastikas and one post edit, although there is all that much difference between the two. Forgive the gobbly-gook in the links these links are to Korean sites.

Daum tv팟 - 박진희 - 미플 Mipl 녹두 CF 광고 part 1 - ë�™ì˜�ìƒ�

Daum tv팟 - 박진희 - 미플 Mipl 녹두 CF 광고 part 2 - ë�™ì˜�ìƒ�

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Really, there isn't much difference between both. Anyway, Hitler is as much relevant to Korean culture as the King Sejong the Great is to us Westerners, so it's natural some publicity guy is not aware of sensitivities.

Which brings us to the point that "Forgive the gobbly-gook in the links" might be seen as racist

Gee, how PC can I be?

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Bah!

People have taken issue with the second, cleaned up advert also. Both are clearly nazi inspired, but I'm quite sure the advertisers are happy with their notoriety and exposure. There is no such thing as bad publicity they say...

Referencing abusive government regimes is advertising isn't anything new. Take a look at this vodka advert, I'm not sure it's what the Marxist-Leninists had in mind. It makes me wonder that if the Soviets had lost WWII would there have been an equal outcry about this vodka?

Attached Images

redarmy.jpg (17.8 KB, 25 views)

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Watching both of those, I'd say that someone's getting rather over-sensitive about nothing.

On the Grofaz's booze...Putting aside any potential ethics... I want one!
(Or 3, it'd go down even easier in a bottle like that, spares likely required )


Cheers,
Adam.

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"Wars cannot be fought with dream stuff" - Sir Percy Hobart.

Some times PC can just go too far. On another discussion group someone was making a big stink over the usage of the terms "Jap" or "Japs". I had no problem when they were used in a historical context especially when quoting statements or information from that era. This person would still not have it.

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman

I agree with you, much too sensitive.

I've had this vodka served to me at a bar Adam. The bartender made a drink he called a "Molotov Cocktail" which included this vodka and another flammable beverage. The scene at the bar with the vodka shell and four flaming drinks was quite a sight. I wanted to steal the bottle and run out, but I didn't even remember to take a photo of the scene. I'm sure the vodka didn't help my memory...

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"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." Socrates

Some of the advertising's priceless:
Red Army Vodka: Home
And these may not be exactlty 'PC' if you chose to truly identify them with an essentially oppressive (many would say murderous) regime, or a gun that's been used to kill tens of thousands... but basically they are just entertainingly packaged vodka (Which, as you may have guessed, I will be acquiring soonish... Curse you advertisers! you're too clever for me!!):



Or even this for Spitfire Beer, which to my mind is one of the best ad campaigns of the last few years :


Cheers,
Adam

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"Wars cannot be fought with dream stuff" - Sir Percy Hobart.

Ahh, the Spitfire beer campaign, brilliant, isn't it?

I have a wrist watch with a Red Star which I bought somewhere on ebay, does that make me a cynical genocide and a murdering tyrant? At least I dislike vodka, bring me a Scotch any day

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Bah!

' does that make me a cynical genocide and a murdering tyrant? '

Yes I will go along with that.

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Work Harder ! Millions on welfare are depending on you.

How do I get some of that makeup for the wife? The only think that could have made it better would be a tank or an airplane.

Wait am I supposed to be offended... doh! I didn't mean what I first said. What I meant was that I felt so bad for the poor old Korean people that we should support their commercial activities.

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