Metro Yanks Ad Featuring Pope Bobblehead
WHO DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING: A new marketing campaign featuring a bobbleheaded likeness of Pope Benedict XVI aimed at promoting Metro as a means to get to his appearance at Nationals Park next week didn't go over very well with the Archdiocese of Washington.
The archdiocese's objection, though, is a bit more nuanced than you'd think.
"Our concern is that this was a bad bobblehead," Susan Gibbs, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, told The Post's Lena H. Sun. "You had unauthorized merchandise, and you had a misdressed pope."
Sun explains: "The bobblehead in the Metro video wears a red skull cap, known as a zucchetto, and a red cape. 'Popes don't wear red skull caps,' and they don't wear red capes, only white ones, Gibbs said."
Metro pulled the ad yesterday after the archdiocese complained, Sun reports. (But since nothing ever truly dies on the Internet, you can view it via YouTube above.)
"We did not intend to offend," Metro media relations director Lisa Farbstein, who came up with the idea, told The Post. "We were really trying to encourage people to purchase the one-day pass and to reach out to new audiences who don't tend to use other, more conventional means to get their news and information."
Farbstein told Sun she bought the bobblehead on eBay for $16.99, including shipping.
» "Pope Bobblehead Ad Given the Bounce" [WaPo]
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Addison Road
This is great, too bad the church gets so worried over such things. Personally I think he is an awful man. Someone who preaches to love all yet he has an agenda for many whom do not follow his beliefs, ways or the book he follows. He shouldn't even come to this country, no welcome from me and I'll have to put up with his creating a nightmare when he visits near my home at Ground Zero. As for his speech at the UN, that will show part of his inhumanity and his hate for others not exactly like him, although a huge majority of his preacher men worldwide do exactly what he so fears, I bet he does it too, old dirty scumbag he is.
By DB Cooker , Posted April 10, 2008 10:06 AMKnow much of what the Pope has said or written, DB Cooker? He is neither an "awful man" or a "dirty scumbag", insults which reflect more on you than on him.
Anybody who has met him or interviewed him describe him as brilliant and kind-hearted. I hope you listen to his speech at the UN with an open mind and open heart.
By kelly , Posted April 11, 2008 2:00 PM