Swiss Menswear Ad Campaign Sits Ill With Turks
February 19, 1998 - 0:0
ISTANBUL A Swiss clothing company got more attention than it had bargained for when it included a Turkish theme in an eye-catching advertising campaign for its menswear. The Turkish Ambassador to Switzerland now wants a word with the company, the Turkish model is threatening to sue, and the Turkish press is up in arms against the supposed racist overtones of the ad published in several German magazines this week.
Switzerland's largest manufacturer of menswear, Strellson AG, had been happy enough with the Benetton-style campaign run by the Munich-based advertising agency RG Wiesmeier since last autumn. The campaign featured full-page photographs of a Buddhist monk in Japan and an American Indian in New York, among others, accompanied by cryptic messages extolling egalitarian values. The muck hit the fan, though, when the latest motif hit the newsstands a man pictured sitting under the Turkish flag on a Bosphorus ferry, accompanied by the slogan: People with prejudices don't need new outfits.
Because they are incorrigible. The Turkish Ambassador has asked for an appointment with Strellson's chairman and an explanation, a company spokeswoman told AFP. The Istanbul carpet seller who posed for the picture told the daily Hurriyet that he was taking on a lawyer to sue Strellson. I can't look my children in the eye, Aziz Ozcan, 28, told Hurriyet. They have used me badly.
And the Turkish press interpreted the ad's message as a racist insult aimed at Turkey. They've got it all wrong, said Strellson's spokeswoman Senka Nozinic. We thought the Germans might kick up a fuss, she admitted. But we certainly didn't expect the Turks to react like this. The campaign's aim was to associate the clothing line with the concept of a global economy, the company explained in a written statement issued in answer to numerous queries from the Turkish press.
This is a new idea in advertisements, the company statement said. Our campaign takes readers by surprise and inspires debate. Unimpressed, the Turkish weekly Artihaber advised Strellson to lay off the social philosophy and stick to tailoring pants. But carpet seller Aziz Ozcan conceded the surprise had worked for him. I was shocked when friends showed me the reprint in Hurriyet, he told the paper.
Ozcan said he had only been doing a favor for some tourists who had purchased two carpets from him, and out of politeness had even refused a tip and the offer to keep the clothes. He had not known about the nature of the campaign, he told Hurriyet. The advertising agency refutes this claim. He signed an agreement, copywriter Carlos Obers told AFP. (AFP)
Switzerland's largest manufacturer of menswear, Strellson AG, had been happy enough with the Benetton-style campaign run by the Munich-based advertising agency RG Wiesmeier since last autumn. The campaign featured full-page photographs of a Buddhist monk in Japan and an American Indian in New York, among others, accompanied by cryptic messages extolling egalitarian values. The muck hit the fan, though, when the latest motif hit the newsstands a man pictured sitting under the Turkish flag on a Bosphorus ferry, accompanied by the slogan: People with prejudices don't need new outfits.
Because they are incorrigible. The Turkish Ambassador has asked for an appointment with Strellson's chairman and an explanation, a company spokeswoman told AFP. The Istanbul carpet seller who posed for the picture told the daily Hurriyet that he was taking on a lawyer to sue Strellson. I can't look my children in the eye, Aziz Ozcan, 28, told Hurriyet. They have used me badly.
And the Turkish press interpreted the ad's message as a racist insult aimed at Turkey. They've got it all wrong, said Strellson's spokeswoman Senka Nozinic. We thought the Germans might kick up a fuss, she admitted. But we certainly didn't expect the Turks to react like this. The campaign's aim was to associate the clothing line with the concept of a global economy, the company explained in a written statement issued in answer to numerous queries from the Turkish press.
This is a new idea in advertisements, the company statement said. Our campaign takes readers by surprise and inspires debate. Unimpressed, the Turkish weekly Artihaber advised Strellson to lay off the social philosophy and stick to tailoring pants. But carpet seller Aziz Ozcan conceded the surprise had worked for him. I was shocked when friends showed me the reprint in Hurriyet, he told the paper.
Ozcan said he had only been doing a favor for some tourists who had purchased two carpets from him, and out of politeness had even refused a tip and the offer to keep the clothes. He had not known about the nature of the campaign, he told Hurriyet. The advertising agency refutes this claim. He signed an agreement, copywriter Carlos Obers told AFP. (AFP)