The campaign, which won a bronze Lion at Cannes this year, tries to draw attention to China’s human rights record using a series of hard-hitting print visuals. “The work was created by an individual in the Paris office without approval from TBWAInternational,” read a statement from TBWAChina and TBWAInternational.
“We deeply regret and apologise for any offence the campaign may have caused and have introduced rigorous new guidelines and procedures to ensure no such an event takes place in the future.
“TBWAInternational is a non-political organisation. Our offices in China have responsibly contributed to the development of China’s advertising and marketing industry for more than 12 years. TBWAChina is proud that Beijing is hosting the Olympic Games in August and remains committed to supporting its success.”
In a surprising twist, Am-nesty International has also withdrawn its support for the ads, noting that they direct viewers to www.amnesty.com - a website which does not exist.
“There were discussions about the creation of the ads, but this is not an Amnesty campaign nor a campaign we are endorsing or disseminating,” said a spokesperson from Amnesty’s global HW in London. The ad is the latest in a series that have angered Chinese netizens. A Fiat TV spot - featuring Tibet activist and actor Richard Gere driving through Tibet - also forced the carmaker to apologise. The controversy comes as China continues its clampdown on visa and entry regulations in the run-up to the Olympics. Hotel bookings are still barely half-full during the Olympic period.
“The Government is ensuring foreigners without major economic ties to China are out of Beijing by the Olympics,” said one entrepreneur.
TBWA disowns Paris arm's human rights ad
BEIJING - The political power wielded by the mainland's nationalist netizens has forced advertising agency TBWA to swiftly distance itself from an award-winning campaign created by its Paris office.
