• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, August 9, 2015

An Israeli burger chain, Agadir, is under fire for an ad that shows a blonde woman in a bikini at the knees of a fully dressed man. The ad carries the headline "Rich Taste." And yet nowhere in the ad is an image of a burger. 

No one likes the ad. One person said, "This campaign makes me want to puke." Another said: "They are turning to a new market segment of rich elderly men with their escort girls. Good luck with losing customers."

Eitan Tarablos thinks the world is overreacting but can't really be bothered by it all since he's on vacation in, naturally, Ibiza -- but he did offer up a statement, saying, "I'm vacationing in Ibiza. I have no Internet access, but the storm the ad created is delusional. Wait, it's only the teaser. I suggest that people wait for the entire campaign, and then things will be clarified. I am reflecting an existing situation here, so what's the problem? It's rich taste, and there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has suddenly become politically correct here."

But he doesn't stop there defending the campaign further, saying, "Our campaigns are not sexist, they're sexy, and that's a huge difference. The waitresses were all glad to be part of it and enjoyed it, because we are a workplace which pays its employees an excellent salary. Agadir is a bold, happy and sexy brand which sells excellent food and a sexy and fun atmosphere, and so are our campaigns."

So rich older men love young, hot women. Yeah -- that's pretty much a fact, like it or not, no matter where you live in the world. But an argument could be made for advertisers showing a modicum of restraint rather than sensationalizing things known for pushing people's hot buttons .