Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    The Cutline

    Vodka company follows up anti-Semitic billboard with one denigrating women

    Billboard promoting Wodka in New York. (Katie Kitamura)

    Remember that vodka ad on a New York billboard that was removed late last year after residents and Jewish groups complained its message ("CHRISTMAS QUALITY. HANNUKAH PRICING") was anti-Semitic?

    Well, the folks behind it are at it again.

    A new billboard advertising Wodka has surfaced on Seventh Avenue near New York's Penn Station with a similarly offensive message--this one referencing prostitutes:

    ESCORT QUALITY
    HOOKER PRICING

    "Our intent was not to be offensive toward women," Brian Gordon, president of MMG, the firm that created the campaign, told Yahoo News.

    "We're a bit of a lightning rod after the last one," Gordon continued. "There was justified sensitivity, which is why we took it down.

    "People are going to be offended for different reasons, but there's nothing derogatory about this campaign," he added. "These are words people use, and one denotes a higher quality. We're creating a juxtaposition, that's all."

    A representative for Panache Beverages Inc., the New York-based distillery that owns Wodka, did not return a call from Yahoo News seeking comment.

    The latest billboard was spotted by a Twitter user, Katie Kitamura, who said she was rendered speechless upon seeing it.

    The ad, which features a sheep wearing a sombrero, also appears on Wodka's website. According to Gordon, there are currently at least seven copies of the ad up in New York; a Wodka campaign with different creative ("LOBSTAH QUALITY. CHOWDAH PRICING") recently launched in Boston.

    "Maybe the lobster industry is going to come after us next," Gordon said.

    The Wodka billboard with the holiday message was posted on the West Side Highway last November. It was taken down after the Anti-Defamation League denounced the ad as "crude and offensive."

    Other popular Yahoo! News stories:

    CNN cancels GOP debate after Romney and Paul drop out
    'Colbert Report' production suspended 'due to unforeseen circumstances'
    PETA defends controversial vegan ad: 'The underlying message is a helpful one'

     
    • Jessica  •  8 days ago
      301 redirect uses very good, that case if you are not using 301 then your links show in broken link so daily check broken link if you found any broken link then you redirect

      thanks
      manchester escorts
    • j r  •  Duncanville, Texas  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Did Katie Kitamura feel like her profession was being maligned?
    • j r  •  Duncanville, Texas  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      It is so refreshing to see people who ignore all of that political correctness crap.
    • Cameraman  •  Sierra Vista, Arizona  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      Fruity flavored vodka for the boys in San Francisco - Nancy Pelosi says; I just like to watch....
    • Brad S  •  Fort Worth, Texas  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      The secret service should probably investigate them and confirm if the message is correct or not... they know all about vodka and partying... and the other things mentioned.
    • Mark  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      manning quality, bounty-system prices
    • Mark  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      cocaine quality, meth prices
    • A Yahoo! User  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      Jerry Seinfeld was behind it
    • Wilbur M  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      my my aren't we sensitive
    • Scottyboy and Boomerman  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      hahahahahahaha......
    • nolakat  •  New Orleans, Louisiana  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      Superbowl publicity. Billboard pricing. Cha-ching!
    • John S  •  Gresham, Oregon  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      "CHRISTMAS QUALITY. HANNUKAH PRICING" is anti-Semitic? It's HILARIOUS - loosen up Zionists.

      The comment is Only racist/anti-Semitic to a thin-skinned Jew with absolutely NO sense of humor. Jews love to make bad jokes about goys, the Roman Catholic Church and whites but let a goy tell a joke about Jews and these uptight racists go nuts. You've a sense of humor like glass. BRITTLE.
      • Concerned Citizen 1 mth 5 days ago
        Exactly. They've got it set up so if you say ANYTHING even remotely off-color about jews, you're "Anti-Semitic." It's "I'm a victim" time and everyone wants a piece of the action.
      • Radio Dave 1 mth 4 days ago
        One often gets the same feeling about Blacks, deservedly or not.
    • orions girl  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      And I guess if you drink enough of their crap vodka..then you can date a sheep!!!
      • sam 1 mth 5 days ago
        Obama dated a sheep while in Keyna.
    • KC  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      both are great ads.
    • Smoking Joem  •  Roanoke, Virginia  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      Sort of a silly fuss. They aren't making a derogatory statement about women at all. Just prostitutes and I understand there are a good many male prostitutes as well and not necessarily homosexual. Therefore, we can conclude that this ad says nothing about womanhood. Many years ago some of us used to drive up to DC and act as escorts for older women who paid us for the service. I suppose we could have been called prostitutes because if they wanted a little loving and the price was right and the room dark enough... Well, you get the picture.
    • Bill  •  Houston, Texas  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      If these adds are not funny to you, I suggest leaping from a tall (6 floor minimum) building? Harden the eff up. O-Dog quality, O-Cabrito prices!
    • Goldbudus  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      Aren't the people of Wyoming going to be offended by a sheep being on this ad?
    • sam  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      Should read Escort Quality Secret Service Pricing .
    • John  •  Kahului, Hawaii  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      These people are Indignant with the words but not with the women who has made it their profession. What is wrong with these children of prostitutes?
    • Max1972  •  Dallas, Texas  •  1 mth 5 days ago
      How about "Republican Quality, Democrat Prices?" Oh, the irony - you can get a Democrat vote in congress or the senate for a bottle of vodka!
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    About The Cutline

    The Cutline is the Yahoo! News media blog devoted to making sense of the press and its influence.

    Subscribe

    [X]

    How to subscribe

    Roll over each section to subscribe using Add to My Yahoo! or RSS Feed feeds.

    Yahoo! News offers dozens of RSS feeds you can read in My Yahoo! or using third-party RSS news reader software. Click here to find out more about RSS and how you can use it with Yahoo! News.

    Meet The Cutline Team

    The Upshot Network

    Edited by Dylan Stableford
    Edited by Eric Pfeiffer
    Edited by Olivier Knox
    Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
    Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
    How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.