News

Ad Campaigns Should Quit Quoting Hitler

by Nuzha Nuseibeh

Seriously, though? An Alabama church, for reasons unknown, decided to use a Bible verse, a group of smiling (white) kids, and, er, a quote from Adolf Hitler to feature on its billboard. "He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future," Adolf informed everybody from said billboard. Founder James Anderegg told the Ledger-Enquirer: “We are pulling the billboard and certainly never intended to cause confusion." Sure, yah. Confusion.

The unfortunate billboard — which bore Hitler's quote in a friendly handwriting font, complete with red "Adolf Hitler" signature — went up Friday, with the Bible verse quote "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” beside it. After numerous complaints, the billboard was taken down on Tuesday, and Hitler's quote was replaced by a quote from the more-appropriate former U.S. President Herbert Hoover.

“We are a children’s organization and had honorable intentions and nothing less,” Anderegg added, according to the Ledger-Enquirer.

Though bizarre at best and deeply offensive at worst, the Life Savers Ministries' ad campaign is far from the first to use the Fuhrer for marketing purposes. It's not even the first to accidentally quote the dictator as inspiration for kids. From shampoo ads to AIDS awareness campaigns, Hitler's terrifying face seems to be a go-to for advertising agencies who are out of ideas or looking for controversy.

Turkey's "Manly" Hitler Shampoo Ad

The highly offensive, highly controversial "Biomen" shampoo ad uses historical footage of the Fuhrer making a speech, translating the German in subtitles that read: "If you're not wearing women's clothes, you shouldn't be wearing women's shampoo." So... not only really disturbing, it's also pretty sexist.

Germany's Horrifying Hitler-is-AIDS Ad

*NSFW.

If you thought the shampoo video was troubling, this German AIDS-awareness commercial is positively nightmarish. That's really not an exaggeration: the video shows a couple in the middle of having (very graphic) sex in a dimly lit room, with the man's face hidden until the very last moment, when his face suddenly emerges — and it's Hitler. At which point "AIDS is a mass murderer" flashes across the screen, but you're too busy crying/washing your eyes out with soap to notice.

Hitler's Face Turns into A Bunny Ad, Because Vodka

Amundsen/Mediabistro

Much less traumatizing, but nonetheless strange, is this ad for Amundsen, a Czech Vodka. In it, Hitler's face gets slowly distilled into a scary bunny face (not unlike that of the Sochi bunny, actually). You know, because vodka slowly morphs your worst enemies into fluffly bed-time toys? I'm sold!

And at least those were by choice (poor choice, but choice nonetheless). One furniture shop in Germany accidentally found itself selling lovely floral coffee cups with the face of the Adolf Hitler subtly hidden beneath a poem about roses. The manufacturer mistakenly printed faded Third Reich stamps with the Nazi dictator's face on the mugs.

And a few years ago, an Easton Area High School accidentally included a Hitler quote in their senior yearbook, on page 190 of 200, beside quotes from the school's coaches. The quote? “And in the last analysis, success is what mattered.”

Yah. Not so much.