Richard Gere Fiat Ad Political Controversy
Richard Gere and Fiat have caused something of a political storm over their recent advertising. It seems Chinese authorities are very sensitive to anything Tibet, especially from this particular Hollywood actor …
Gere has been critical of the Chinese governments human rights record. He is also friendly toward Dalai Lama, and has been vocally against their policies toward Tibet. It seems casting was more than just about his leading man good looks.
According to CNN.com
Fiat said Monday it will keep running an ad featuring actor Richard Gere and a reference to Tibet that has angered some in China and prompted the Italian automaker to issue an apology.
Fiat are not pulling the ad which features Gere frolicking with child monks in the hills of Tibet and say
casting Gere for the ad had not been a “political choice” and was not driven by the desire to “interfere with the internal political system of any country.”
View the advert here:
1 comment
I think we’re seeing the future of branding and advertising. I’ve spoken about how increasingly fragmented the advertising terrain has become. Companies and products that want to stand out have got to make a racket and one way of doing this is designing advertising and marketing campaigns that get talked about and take on a life of their own. There is probably no better way of doing this than offending one group’s sensibilities while re-enforcing and complimenting another group’s. The Fiat ad does this since it was intended for airing in Europe where Free-Tibet sentiment is high. In the European market, the ad’s message is sure to resonate and build visibility and goodwill for the Fiat brand.
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