Sunday 18 October 2009

The Evil Genius of Israeli Advertising (again!)

Advertisements in Israel often seem like a masterclass in provocation - whether by shooting a catalogue for a high-end fashion chain by the Separation Wall, by giving the phrase "water-cooler moment" an entirely different meaning (courtesy of Bar Rafaeli), or by proposing the rescue of inter-married Jews as an act of charity. (Speaking from a personal experience, I consider my marriage an act of charity - in my favour, obviously.)

According to today's Ha'aretz, this cheerful - or, perhaps, cheerfully cynical - exercise in fermenting public approbation may be about to hit a new high - or low, depending upon your perspective - courtesy of the benighted Italian Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi.

"According to Antonello Zappadu, an Italian photographer from Sardinia who took pictures of Berlusconi in the company of half-naked female guests at the billionaire politician's Villa Certosa on the island's Costa Smeralda, a "very large advertising firm" in Israel has asked to purchase the rights to the photographs."

The correct thing to do, I suppose, would be to deplore the invasion of Berlusconi's privacy and dignity. On the other hand, I can't help but remember that his soon-to-be ex-wife cited his proclivity for "consorting with minors" in her decision to leave him; or the fact that his media empire is largely built on the same level of titillating nonsense. And that isn't even without beginning to go into the avalanche of gaffes, misogyny and general misanthropy with which he has deluded us over the years.

So I'm just going to snigger.

(ps - I've seen some of the pictures; the description "in the company of half naked female guests", whilst factually correct, is perhaps on the more benign side. )

3 comments:

Lisa Goldman said...

Any chance you could link to the photos of B. and his bevy?

x said...

google Berlusconi + El Pais

Anonymous said...

Also, Berlusconi has just offered a sample of his tolerance of other people's privacy:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/italy/6360026/Silvio-Berlusconis-TV-company-filmed-bribery-case-judge.html

I think he is just the wrong example to use for 'any' comparison with the rest of the world!