ISTANBUL, February 19: A Swiss clothing company received more attention than it bargained for when it included a Turkish theme in an eye-catching advertising campaign for its menswear.Switzerland's largest manufacturer of menswear, Strellson AG, had been happy 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 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 to Switzerland wants an explanation from the company `s chairman and the Istanbul carpet seller who posed for the picture is threatening to sue. The Turkish press is up in arms against the supposed racist overtones of theadvertisement published in several German magazines this week. 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.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
