Hi everyone. I was reading a magazine today and came across this ad:
<img src="http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0PwD9An8SnUdoINMItQDmmFQEpnJLSrUw9B5BVfEwC2eY2DZcftLC4BH5bFy!HBS8EDy3rfNlBl2wWrHm!YTqYrn4tBjBvw3X/mag_ad.jpg?dc=4675485721448227346">
In case you can't read it, the ad says:
<b>95% of people in the world with HIV don't know they have it.
Are you putting us on?
-Kenneth Cole</b>
I looked at the Kenneth Cole website (Kenneth Cole is a fashion designer) and apparently they are big <a href="http://www.kennethcole.com/scripts/aboutus/links.asp">supporters of charities and organizations</a>. All their advertising seems to be centered around shocking quotations and the response 'Are you putting us on?'
<img src="http://www.kennethcole.com/images/pics/kc_08.jpg">
I admit it took me a little while to make the connection. Kenneth Cole supports AIDS charities through money raised by people buying their clothes, hence the response 'Are you putting us on?'.
My question is, do people think this is a clever, ethical form of advertising? No doubt raising money for charities is a good thing, but the ad I saw in that magazine repulses me. Something about the two beautiful people in classic 'distant, uncaring' poses, and the shocking quote about HIV statistics, just throws me right off.
What do people think?