The Raw Story | New Zealand billboard causes stir; Being reviewed — As if the billboard isn’t bad enough, it gets defaced too!
A decision is due to be made today whether a billboard labelling President Bush an ‘evil bastard’ is appropriate, NZ City of New Zealand reports Monday. The publication provides a few details:
The Hell Pizza billboards have been erected around Auckland and Wellington. Half of the poster is taken up with a photo of the president and the other half has the phrase ‘Hell: Too Good For Some Evil Bastards.’
AdvertisementOutdoor Advertising New Zealand is reviewing who is behind the boards and whether the Advertising Standards Authority needs to become involved.
Hell’s media manager, Matthew Blomfield, says they expected to cause a bit of a stir. He says it is meant to provoke discussion and be a little edgy, instead of bland, boring advertising.
Mr Blomfield is hoping reaction will be balanced between those who find it funny and those who are upset by it.
found by D. Drews
I’m sorry I can’t find an email address to the site admin. In Safari 2.0 the pages are being truncated at the bottom as they lengthen. Since the comments are moderated I was hoping the moderator could forward the comment. Changing viewing options or font size has no effect on the viewable area. I am viewing on a 14″ iBook, so my real estate is limited, but still my scroll bar shouldn’t bottom out. Thanks
Well I think it’s quite hilarious, but then again, I think Bush is quite hilarious.
I would think this would fall under the category of free speech. It doesn’t have to be tasteful, or polite. It’s just one person’s opinion. (And one marketer’s at that. Hell is indeed to good for some…;) In the US someone would get crusified for that, but I’m interested to see what happens in New Zealand.
You MUST agree that the USA of 2005 looks a lot like those nightmarish, el-cheapo sci-fi movies where you see a parallel universe where the world is ruled by an evil dictator…
Hell Pizza did the worst thing that an advertiser can possibly do – simply tell the truth. Unfortunately, they left out “coke-addled liar.”
Bravo to New Zealanders for doing what no Canadian company would ever have the courage to do! 🙂 Glad to see other countries who aren’t as scared to insult the USA as ours.
I suspect the 666 has been added – I found no mention of it in the various news articles I read
I think its too subtle.
this is wrong. they might have a right to say what they want but they should never look at the us for any help if they dont take it down. it is bashing the country more than george.
If you travel much outside the USA you’ll find this sentiment is rampant. Americans are oblivious to the fact that this administration has mismanaged itself insofar as International relations and PR is concerned. The sheer incompetence has resulted in this sort of reaction. These sorts of signs are no surprise to me. It will just worsen.
site admin said – “this administration has mismanaged itself insofar as International relations and PR is concerned.”
Not only international relations and PR. Around the world people see the Bush administration doing everything it can to plunder natural resources and favour big business. Everything that we grew to learn was ‘wrong’ is being aggressively pursued by this administration. Global warming and drilling in natural reserves immediately come to mind. Don’t forget the US is still the ‘lighthouse’ of the western world. Whatever happens there has a way of happening everywhere else. Therefore we, outside the US, don’t like what’s probably coming – total disrespect for nature, the environment, and regular, non-millionaire, citizens.
It may worsen, but too bad it will never matter.
James Hill
#9 Sid. I agree, bashing George Bush is bashing the country and our LORD Jesus Christ. One day, as you point out, those commies will come crawling to us for aid and we’ll just laugh right in their pasty little gay marriage/pro abortion faces!
Or to put it another way there is nothing on that sign from the US other than GWBs face.
To R. Taylor
“In Safari 2.0 the pages are being truncated at the bottom as they lengthen.”
sucks, don’t it?
I’ve gone back to Camino. 🙂
To Milo
“I thought I’d say it first!”
LOL!
Just to add a bit of context – Hell has run a whole series of billboards making similar comments about NZ’s own politicians. And it’s good see that it’s not just Bush doing his bit for world diplomacy, Cheers Milo.
shhh I can hear you guys being marked by the nsa for subterfuge!
Anyone notice how the billboard looks like the old chick tracts? I bet that’s part of the joke… http://www.chick.com