'Tasteless' WWF Ad Exploits 9/11

The World Wildlife Fund roars right into "tasteless" territory with a new ad that plays off the 9/11 anniversary, writes David Gianatasio in the AdFreak blog of Adweek. The print ad shows hundreds of planes converging on lower Manhattan with copy that reads: "The tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it."

Says Gianatasio: "Unfortunately, respect is the main thing lacking here. Exploiting one tragedy to try to prevent another is just stupid and self-defeating, and will always backfire."