When Human Rights Don't Matter

This why I get tired of the western moralizing and lecturing about China's authoritarian government (never mind western hypocrisy for now).

"An international arena; Companies view Olympics as platform to advertise products globally in a bid to tap new markets" by Brian Steinberg, Globe Correspondent | August 20, 2008

Brian Steinberg is the television editor of Advertising Age.

.... McDonald's boasts a clever ad that depicts two Chinese children fighting - "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" style - with chopsticks to win one last Chicken McNugget. Visa has an ad that helps viewers relive the Olympics victory by US gymnast Mary Lou Retton, but its tagline, "Go World," suggests a broader view. And Coca-Cola sports a frenetic, animated ad showing Chinese basketball player Yao Ming and a host of national icons such as pandas and a dragon taking on US counterpart LeBron James, who counters with a cowboy, an eagle, and Santa Claus. In the end, the two applaud each other while the commercial preaches unity.

Because the large Chinese populace is "increasingly wealthy and desirous of Western goods," and gives rise to "a rapidly expanding immigrant and expat community that has remained psychologically very linked to the homeland," said Ted Nelson, principal/strategy at Mechanica, a Newburyport ad agency, the Olympics attract "a population base that no global marketer can afford to not cater to."

Translation: When it comes to the $$$, the humanity goes out the door!!!!

--MORE--"

Of course, I haven't seen any of these ads because I haven't watched any Olympics (other than opening ceremonies and a little women's b-ball) and I don't generally watch cable and network news (tv off now).