Dubai gym in Holocaust furore fires ad creator

Wednesday, 4 January 2012 12:50 PM

The Circuit Factory runs fitness classes in Dubai

The founder of a Dubai-based fitness firm said he had ditched his marketing team after the company spurred outraged by using images of a notorious Nazi concentration camp in advertising campaign.

The Circuit Factory was blasted by users on social media sites Twitter and Facebook after posting an image of the Auschwitz death camp with the slogan; ‘Kiss your calories goodbye.’

An estimated three million people were killed at the World War II concentration camp.

The images were uploaded on the company’s Facebook page on Tuesday morning, but a number were later removed after a backlash erupted across social media sites. One user claimed to be "shocked@ the level of ignorance".

“Apologies for the insane poster campaign that was put up this morning... If it caused offense it was not our intention,” said Phil Parkinson, who runs the Al Quoz-based Circuit Factory.

“If it caused offense it was not our intention. I can't really do much more than apologise about this. I wish I could, but I can't.”

The company “won't be using the creative guy” behind the advertising campaign again, he said.

Marketing experts said the error could cost the company business following the wave of negative publicity that has followed the posting.

“Associating your brand with human suffering as a means to secure visibility is extremely short-sighted and may have far-reaching effects, including alienating both existing and potential customers,” said Eileen Wallis, managing partner at Dubai-based PR firm the Portsmouth Group.

Alexander McNabb, director of Spot On PR in Dubai and a founding member of the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA), said it was a myth that all publicity was good publicity.

“In the online world you are talking to a global community so it is always possible to offend someone, somewhere. Using Auschwitz to promote weight loss, that is a most extraordinary lapse in judgement,” he said. “I would have thought that people would choose to stay away from a brand that behaves like this, especially if it did so consistently.”

The campaign comes weeks after a Virgin Megastores outlet in Qatar was forced to pull the Adolf Hitler's ‘Mein Kampf’ from its recommended reading shelf after a backlash on Twitter.

The retailer was blasted after a Twitter user posted a picture on the social network of the book in the store’s branch in Landmark Shopping Centre in Qatar.

Virgin Megastores said in a statement that individual stores chose the books promoted on recommended reading shelves, but said Mein Kampf had been removed from the section.

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Posted by: charles Tuesday, 10 January 2012 7:29 AM[UAE] - uae

Maybe because your "point" is just too simplistic for something so serious.
Your point is to compare each and every event in history. Anyone can add any horrendous event, and of course you choose to do so. They are all terrible, but that is not the subject of the article.
So in trying to deflect blame for your gym friend, you are belittling a crass PR stunt. But to you that was an error so no problem at all.
As "one of many" to me, your reasoning is just as bad as his failed PR stunt.

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Posted by: Saudi Engineer Monday, 9 January 2012 12:36 PM[UAE] - Saudi Arabia

Charley,
I think you're one of the many who's missing *my* point. I honestly don't care if the gym owner's comments or advertising campaign were an error. I was not defending them, or him in any way. I'm saying plainly and simply, when this guy "did what he did" many people got angry. On the other hand, these same people would be defending the actions (and the *errors*) of western military powers that kill innocent civilians and saying "minor errors are the cost of war".
Charley my dear, what did you think of the Abu Ghraib prison scandal? What was worse, taking pictures with detainees in unacceptable poses and abusing them, or someone who thinks he's funny making an unacceptable comment about the holocaust? How about guantanamo?

Posted by: JKK Monday, 9 January 2012 3:58 PM[UAE] - UAE

Point! With you on it.

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Posted by: Saudi Engineer Sunday, 8 January 2012 12:44 PM[UAE] - Saudi Arabia

I wasn't comparing the holocaust to the killings of innocent civilians. I was actually comparing the "error in judgement" of the gym owner in joking about the holocaust or even mentioning it, to the "error" in killing civilians. So when we talk about *scales* we're actually weighing the inappropriateness of the marketing campaign vs. the killing of civilians in general.
My point was military powers want to be forgiven for killing people, and in most cases they are (by someone or another). But when it comes to forgiving someone for saying something silly, or stupid, or uncalled for - especially if it's about the holocaust - you find everyone up in arms, decrying the inhumanity of the advertisement. They would physically crucify him if they could.
So in your opinion, which one of *these* is worse? An error in judgement over an ad, or an error that kills a dozen or so bystanders?

Posted by: charles Monday, 9 January 2012 7:56 AM[UAE] - uae

yes you were comparing Saudi engineer.
You made it very plain that joking, talking, mentioning about the holocaust by the gym owner as an error.
Even if that guy had been on another planet and is unaware there is no excuse for his crassness.
I dont know what is worse, his actions or your attempt at defence using the word "error".
Maybe you are his PR guy?

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Posted by: Saudi Engineer Saturday, 7 January 2012 12:35 PM[UAE] - Saudi Arabia

@ Ex-Dubai Ex-Pat
But OMG!! How can anything related to the holocaust be human error?! The US can kill 30 innocent civilians in a bombing in Pakistan or Afghanistan, and thats certainly an "error". When the IDF murders a few innocent bystanders, thats also an "error". But *anything* about the holocaust - even just mentioning it - cannot and will not ever be an error!!
So in the eyes of most of the west it is ok to kill a few innocent palestinians, or even afghanis, but just bringing up the holocaust (yes it was tasteless) is suddenly a crime?
And for those who don't know, yes it actually is a crime in some (eurpoean) countries...

Posted by: Jake Saturday, 7 January 2012 3:55 PM[UAE] - UAE

Hey Mr. Saudi Engineer, you should know about scales.

Genocide, such as killing MILLIONS for their religious beliefs is indeed a lot worse than killing "a few" civilians, no matter how innocent they are. Does it make the latter right or acceptable? Of course not, but that is not the debate.

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Posted by: andria switzer Friday, 6 January 2012 7:39 PM[UAE] - canada

I don't see where the PR firm and the specific media guru has paid the price for his stupidity in this fiasco. I don't believe his judgement was a mere slight.

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