Hitler as a child in advertisement of children photographic studio
Yes, they were children just like you and your children, they were at that time normal, kind small boys, smiling to the photographer. Aren’t they sweet? - you may think but at the same time you postpone yourself: they are war criminals, responsible for terror and extermination of masses! So what they are doing on the advertisements of some companies?
Those „innovative” layouts were created by Marieke Koudstaal and Duval Guillaume advertising agency in Belgium. Association of sweet and innocent childhood and icons of terror, like we should say in marketing terms, was a great tactic move, but ambivalent in moral sense. Pictures of three criminals, well known from their adult image, change a bit our perception of them, shifting even to positive feelings. Yet, they are weak, because we know, who are those beautiful boys. But shock of this clash of pictures in our mind and in this three child-portraits is bigger, and, in Koudstaal’s intention, this is the main idea.
Although, she wasn’t so innovative, as we might think. Another funny-frightening advertisement was produced by Durex and broadcast for example in MTV few years ago. You can watch it on youtube.com, with Hitler or Osama Ibn Laden:
