Ad using Hitler to sell shampoo sparks outrage

A screen grab from the Biomen commercial featuring Adolf Hitler / YouTube

(CBS/AP) ANKARA, Turkey - Turkey's Jewish community is protesting a Turkish commercial that uses an old film footage of Adolf Hitler to sell shampoo.

The Jewish community and the Chief Rabbi's office on Monday called Hitler "the most striking example of cruelty and savagery" and said using his image in a commercial was unacceptable.

The statement also demanded a public apology from the advertising company "to repair the damage this commercial has caused to society's conscience."

According to Reuters, the Biomen commercial lasts 13 seconds and shows black-and-white archival footage of Hitler at a political rally. Hitler appear to be shout in a dubbed-over Turkish voice: "If you are not wearing women's dress, you shouldn't be using women's shampoo either!"

Watch a video of the advertisement below.

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League said on its website that it was "repulsed" by the company's attempt to sell shampoo using images of the Nazi leader.

"The use of images of the violently anti-Semitic dictator who was responsible for the mass murder of 6 million Jews and millions of others in the Holocaust to sell shampoo is a disgusting and deplorable marketing ploy," said Abraham H. Foxman, the Anti-Defamation League's national director and a Holocaust survivor, in a statement.

Jewish community leader Silvyo Ovadya told Reuters that Biota Laboratories, which makes Biomen, said they will not get rid of the commercial because the idea is humorous. Ovadya added that they are pursuing legal avenues to get it off the air, but did not detail how they intended to do that.

[Flippycanoo]

So wait. Who is the ad actually targeting? "If you are not wearing women's clothes, you should not use women's shampoo!" Is this appealing to metrosexual men? In other words, Hitler is forcing men not to use a "girly" shampoo? Or is Hitler enforcing gender roles, and the men are not supposed to buy the shampoo? Is it for women? I don't get it. If Hitler is being used to show how the Nazis were as maniacal about gender roles (and against homosexuality, because they were closet cases in many cases), then I think it's actually a bold ad, though I see how some people are offended at any image of Hitler or the Nazis. The fact is, though, Hitler himself is a symbol. He led the party, but I find it interesting that he usually takes the sole blame for everything that happened, and few people understand who did what in the Nazi regime, when, and how and why it all came down. Obviously, it was one of the worst periods in world history, but we have to study it instead of resorting to crass symbols. Hitler today is an advertising symbol for all that is evil.

[CitiKitty]

Well, what do you expect from the Turks ?

In 1915-1916 the Turks carried out the genocidal murder of 1,500,000 Armenians. This is well known as the Armenian Holocaust.

The Turks set the example for what Hitler did 25 years later.

[TheLastManStanding]

Look, it is funny! And funny sells!

[audemus]

Funny? Then let's make commercials of Ted Bundy hawking dating sites, or Jeffery Dahmer talking about which restaurant we should check out. Maybe the Green River killer could do a spot on white water rafting...oh goodie, wouldn't that be fun....?

How about the Son of Sam doing a commercial for Smith and Wesson--no? Then surely you'd like the Nightstalker trying to sell us all a home security system...or we could find an actor to portray the Zodiac Killer, and his commercial could be about astrological spirituality.

I hope you get my point.

[kroguej]

Oh come on, its the oldest advertising trick in the book. Create controversy to get free advertisement with all the news coverage.

[flexsf]

I'm not religious, whatsoever, but can relate to the outrage that some Jewish people may endure from seeing this. It is too bad that some members of the spoken Jewish group harbor bold faced sexism, racism and homophobia while expressing their outrage over this shampoo commercial. To be aligned with one cause but remain unrelated to other parallel causes is hypocritical and worthy of contempt.

[MichaelGaree]

Some people simply will never "get it," will they?

Michael Garee

[StrongHelmet]

This is an example of "What were they thinking?" Interesting commercial in a country that was responsible for the deaths of so many Armenians.

As for the despicable attempts to turn this issue into something about contemporary American political leadership, please get a life and stop turning everything into something about YOUR problem with our President, who was elected democratically and has not caused people to be slaughtered because of their race or religion.

A few years ago, a contract staff member in my office erupted when I mentioned President Clinton, saying: "He's worse than Hitler!" I was appalled at such a comparison. I very calmly noted to him that I had lived for 13 years in Israel and I witnessed and spoke with people who had numbers tattooed on their arms from the concentration camps, whose entire families had been gassed or shot. Then, with a bit more force, I let him know in no uncertain terms that he was ever again in my presence to trivialize the Holocaust and demean our country by accusing an American President of being worse than Hitler.

[infantryman1968]

by signseeker1717 March 26, 2012 3:54 PM EDT

What a monstrous, despicable statement. It's hard to imagine what kind of soul you must inhabit.

LOL!

But your ok with the Jew Haters making fun with it?

Next time put a "Yes We Can" on the end of your rant.

[fwd23515]

Oh, get over it. It's a funny ad.

[fwd23515]

Gee, hypno, why the hair trigger rudeness? You're usually insightful and civil.

For the record, some of my closest relatives spent World War 2 eating weeds and imprisoned in concentration camps.

Is it a tasteful ad? No, of course not. But that's part of what makes it funny.

[ell510]

Will these stinking companies with their neuvo-conscienced executives stop at nothing to get attention?!