A new Israeli ad (above) portrays "Monty Python" alum John Cleese as a Western General who gives the IDF the go ahead to perform an air strike against an anonymous Middle Eastern enemy, presumably, Iran. Not quite what you'd expect from a commercial for a Nutella-esque chocolate-hazelnut spread.
"We need your approval of the attack," an Israeli in the war room says. "I promise you, we will be in and out in 33 minutes...we have the right to defend ourselves!"
A distracted Cleese then grabs a jar of HaSachar Haole's Sababa Egozim spread, messily licks the wrapper, and then announces a Hebrew phrase that the Jerusalem Post translates as "Great stuff" but what appears to be the company's official YouTube account translates as "Let's get nuts!" Generals high five; Cleese doesn't notice the residual chocolate smudge on his nose.
The Algemeiner reported that Cleese received $50,000 for the spot. Shot at Cleese's home in Monaco by Inbar, Merhav, Shaked Advertising agency, the ad apparently aimed "to convince Israeli parents that Hashahar Ha-oleh chocolate spread is really the most filling option for their growing children."
A separate Israeli ad for HOT, an Israeli cable company, created a stir in Iran last February. The spot showed four stars from a HOT series entering Iran, "near the nuclear reactor." ("Where will we find a Kosher kitchen here?" one asks). The men, dressed as Iranian women to fit in, meet up with a Mossad agent and admire his Samsung Galaxy tablet before accidentally pressing a button that sets off an explosion.
The explosion, which the New York Times characterized as "a clear reference to a string of deadly attacks on Iranian scientists and installations that have been attributed to Israel," is shrugged off.
"What? Another mysterious explosion in Iran."
An Iranian official suggested a country-wide ban on Samsung products, although the tech company told All Things D, "This advertisement was produced by HOT cable network without Samsung’s knowledge or participation.”
Watch the spot below:
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