Chinese Company uses Obama in Advertisement, Fined 50,000

HSW.cn reported August 4, Xian (西安 city) in Shanxi province a real estate company uses Obama and other famous celebrities in their advertisement bill boards, was imposed a 50,000 yuan fine by the Xian Trade and Industry Bureau. The Company was also ordered to stop such advertisements immediately and make public corrections.

In mid July, in Xian outside of a real estate development “Ivy Garden” (常春藤花园) there were 4 giant advertising bill boards, each of them is 10 meters long and 6 meters in height. Four world famous celebrities’ pictures were printed on them. They are President of the United States Obama, the world’s richest man Bill Gates, Nobel prize winner Tsung-Dao Lee and Warren Buffett. The one with Obama also writes, 1993 graduated from the Ivy League Columbia University, and “the value of our success has not changed” in both Chinese and English. And right next to the picture of Obama it says “This is the most important investment of my life.”

Despite the attractiveness of the ads, Xian citizens started to question the validity of these advertisements. Do Obama and Bill Gates know about this real estate? Will they come and live here in the future? Come on, I think we all can answer these questions.

Perhaps he confusing (or “connection”) was all four famous people were graduated from “Ivy League” schools. And the real estate company’s name is “Ivy Garden”. But “Ivy League” has nothing to do with this company or “Ivy Garden”…

Finally on August 4 Trade and Industry Bureau of Shanxi Province issued an administrative penalty decision to impose a fine of 50,000 yuna and ordered the company to stop the publication of these false advertisements.