Sure, Obama is a popular dude. So popular that Chinese real estate developers having been plastering his image onto giant billboards throughout China. They’ve also been using our homegrown heroes Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. With their approval? Not so much. But heck, it’s China… the land of fake Louis Vuitton and Obama billboards.
Ivy Garden Real Estate kept the ads with all three notable men running all over China till last week when they were ordered to take them down. The billboards were enormous and were thrown up in the Shanxi province in the middle of July. One of the ads featured a slightly altered Obama quote, “The calue of our success has not changed.” I can see why. Obama’s ingaugural address and Chinese real estate are clearly related… right?
The Buffett billboard was actually much ballsier, and my favorite. “This is the most important investment of my life.” Yup, f*ck that Berkshire Hathaway B.S.! Chinese real estate is Buffetypoo’s real jam. I think all the featured men probably appreciated that they were quoted in both English AND Chinese. I mean, everyone should appreciate the unapproved ads.
All the billboard boys (Buffett, Gates, and Obama) were featured because of their Ivy League educations. All attended Harvard (at least for a period of time, as in the case of Gates). Ivy Gardens Real Estate is obviously trying to more closely associate themselves with Ivy schools.
The billboards, which measured roughly 30 feet by 12 feet, remained in plain sight until August 4th when the Trade and Industry Bureau of Shanxi noticed the ads and issued a near-immediate policy decision to have the ads taken down. They also issued a fine that would amount to the cost of brunch for Bill Gates- 50,000 yuan. That’s about $7,000 US. Seems like a small price to pay for using the images of some of the most respected men in the world.
Remind me to buy billboards in China with an image of Beyonce and a quote from her, “TheLuxurySpot.com gets me going.”
And don’t forget what Madonna had to say about us just last week, “TheLuxurySpot.com is the best f*cking site on the internet. Hands down. F*ck Google.”
