Your Say: Hell gives Hitler the boot

Stuff.co.nz readers from around the world vent about Hell Pizza's latest advertising campaign - which used pictures of Adolf Hitler.

RE: Hell Pizza gives Hitler the boot

Hell's pizza have, I think, taken the p#!s out of Hitler and his regime with this billboard, not defiled the importance & seriousness of the terrible things he did to so many millions of people. To all the haters out there, get a life. Its GREAT pizza.
Chi

Not offensive, but I suppose if the NZ Jewish lobby says it is, then out it goes.
Jacko

The Hell Pizza billboard was too stupid to qualify as offensive, in my opinion. How is the quote relevant to pitching pizza? Using an image as volatile as Hitler to be 'funny' is utterly daft. Granted, they could be operating under the "there's no such thing as bad publicity" logic, but I'd certainly never give them my business.
Glenn Booker

Of course it's offensive! What planet were they from to believe it wouldn't be offensive? But it got a lot of press, didn't it? This is mostly greed and insensitivity.
Mark Leyva, California

It is possible to advertise and get a shock valve reaction without being complete irresponsible and disrespectful. I personally think sending out the condom for the Lust Pizza promotion is cute and funny. Yet, I can understand how some people would be offended by receiving this, but I just don?t think anyone should feel okay with them using Hitler to advertise.
Renada Hope

Shame on you, Mr. MacGibbon and Cinderella. Look for the history of 'Das Dritte Reich' and the 1933-1945 years. I'm not a Jew but a german Christian and I think I would puke, when eating a Hell Pizza. Thank God, in Germany and the other european countries there are no Hell's Pizza available.
Gerhard Reis, Germany

Some things aren't funny, and Hitler is one of them. This was in poor taste.
Donna Flynn

My issue is not so much with the poster as with the comments made by Kirk MacGibbon concerning the propensity of Jews to "complain" and "invade Palestine". I suggest he studies his history better before making such emotive statements. If he were to offer comments such as these at NCEA Level One, he would gain a "Not Achieved" due to lack of supporting evidence and failure to present both sides of an issue. Perhaps he needs to return to school to learn the skills of unbiased and/or less offensive repartee. Incidentally, I am Jewish - but is that relevant in this context? My Gentile friends are equally appalled.
Jo Belgrave, Ngaruawahia

It is refreshing to see non-standard, non-run-of-the-mill advertising that pushes social boundaries... especially such advertising that seeks to poke fun at this traditionally un-pokable figure in history. What Hitler did was bad, to say the least. What Hell Pizza is doing is amusing and provocative. I can make this distinction, because I can think.
Tom Norman

It is a very good advertisement, but a picture from Adolf? I can imagine that the people are not amused in New Zealand. Here, in the Netherlands, we are still waiting about joke's from Adolf. He was the person who terrorised the community. It's a pity that you not deliver in Holland, we want to order a BIG PIZZA.
Albert Staal, The Netherlands

I have always been a fan of Hell pizza's "shock and awe" advertising campaigns, and I think it's pretty pathetic the amount of flak they're copping over this latest billboard. Obviously WW2 and the Nazi's rise to power was a very tragic affair, but how often do we lampoon the likes of Satan, for example? Surely the Prince of Darkness is more offensive than a dead Austrian, and I don't see anyone complaining about deviled eggs, or "Lil' Lucifer" fire-starters.
Connor

Have only just seen the hell pizza image on the stuff website, as a kiwi in Australia, I am absolutely stunned by the advertising gimmick used, there is nothing funny about Hitler and what happened in ww2. To suggest that it was meant to be a lampoon Hitler makes me wonder about the advertising company, it is so disrespectful to all communities who were affected by the war - which included New Zealand! I am sure that the pizza company will benefit anyway what is it they say "any publicity is good publicity"?
Stuart and Sarah

In response to the hells pizza story. I think it is about time that people get over the events that happened over 60 years ago. And yes it was a terrible time in our history, and yes we are all sorry, but after all this is only an advert. I think the media could do alot to curb the way people think and re-act to politically correctiveness... well you know what i mean.
Tony Bull

Anything Hell Pizza decides to do seems to be offensive. Don't like it anyway, so won't buy it.
Corinna Falcon

Yes, I think the Adolf Hitler advertisement was insensitive and inappropriate and would be deeply offensive to most thinking people in this society. I have been slightly bemused by their risquè advertising approach in the past, annoyed they sent me the pathetic and crass "Hell-o" magazine, but have continued to buy their product because we thought it was good. This advertisement is one step too far and we will not buy their product in future since this is the one way a protest can be felt by the company.
Paul

I think it should be removed, this man caused the worst atrocities and should be buried not remembered.
Graham Commins

Anything that refers to Hitler in a positive way is offensive and a disgrace. It does however reflect the true and almost childish ignorance of those involved.
Mike Lloyd

I'm of German origin, like the lady that you quoted in the article. And although my first name is of Jewish origin, I'm not Jewish. Also I'm open to funny and - within the limits of decency -provocative advertisements or other types of media. However, the advertisement was, in my opinion, far over the top. Depicting the organiser of six million murders and a world war as funny shows a serious lack of both decency and education. It does offend me a lot. I've always preferred to go to an Italian place for pizza, but after reading about this advertisement I will forgo both Hell Pizza and Cinderella in the future. Thanks for the article.
Benjamin

Be it Hitler or Bush it's still genocide. Concentration Camp or Smart Bomb still amounts to the same thing. Innocent people are dying now to line the pockets of Haliburton and Bush's cronies. What's more offensive? A humorous billboard featuring Adolf Hitler, now dead for 62 years or watching whats going on in Iraq.
Don Bain

I saw the latest Hell Pizza advertisement featuring a parodied Hitler and thought it was quite clever. It made me stop and think about what I knew about Hitler and especially how people today still, like Hitler, manipulate people's thinking to make heaven seem like hell and hell seem like heaven. My parents suffered through the war and they thought humour was one of the best remedies for dealing with madmen. It would appear that Mel Brooks, who created the Broadway hit 'The Producers', a play that was laced with parodies of Nazism, would agree with this viewpoint and he is Jewish.
John Richards

HELL PIZZA - when will you learn?? Your advertising strategy is offensive to many. This is yet another example of poor consideration for the rights, beliefs of others...
A Turner

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