HITLER AD OFFENDS THAILAND
By Adnews Staff
Leo Burnett Co.'s Thailand office found itself in hot water recently over a potato chip TV ad that featured Hitler. The ad was promoting X potato chips marketed by Food Processing Co. of Thailand. The spot shows Hilter saluting and then cuts to a woman who turns him into a foolish figure by applying voodoo as she eats the treat. As the commercial ends, the swastika in a Nazi flag turns into the brand's name. A variation of the ad appears on posters and on back panels of three-wheel motorized rickshaws. The Israeli embassy has said that the ad is disgusting. The agency has apologized for the commercial, saying it was targeted to teens and designed to communicate that the world would be a better place if happiness ruled. The commercial is currently off the air and being reworked. Food Processing hasn't decided yet whether to withdraw the ad.