The advertisement for online electricity store Powershop shows the Chinese former dictator surrounded by Chinese people and soldiers posing with guns, and carries the slogan 'Same Power Different Attitude'.

Powershop is the same business that produced an advertisement depicting the Pope at the time, Pope Benedict XVI, officiating at a same sex wedding.

Auckland Transport communications manager Sharon Hunter said as a general rule they did not want to have adverts on shelters that were designed to "shock, offend or be controversial".

"Something which may be funny to one person can easily be offensive to another.

"On this occasion we believed Powershop's advertisement may potentially cause offence to Auckland's Chinese population".

A Blogger on the New Zealand Conservative Website remarks:

"Strange, how potentially offending the Chinese Government (I mean, come on, this is not poking fun at Chinese people - Chairman Mao represents the Chinese Government, not the people!) immediately creates a proactive reaction from the Council-owned company, while as an ad poking fun at the Pope Emeritis (supposedly marrying two men when the Catholic Church is totally against same-sex marriage) who represents almost as many Catholics as Chinese people (1.1 billion vs 1.2 billion) does not result in a ban on that other ad!"

Powershop chief executive Ari Sargent said he was not aware of any official complaints about the advertisement, which has appeared online and on billboards in Auckland and Wellington.

He said previous campaigns had been more likely to cause offence than the Chairman Mao advert. Powershop had received only one complaint through its call centre, and would be asking Auckland Transport to review the decision.

Source

• New Zealand Conservative
• New Zealand Herald

The Pope is used as a symbol of "crusty utilities, many of whom remain resistant to the changes happening in our world."

On the other hand Powershop says it is an organisation that believes "If something's working for you and it's not hurting anyone else, then we support your right to do it."

The Power Utility also believes "it's the responsibility of anybody in a position of power to consider whether their exercise of that power is bringing a greater or lesser happiness to the world."

The billboards depict the Pope presiding over a marriage between two males.

The Bishop of Auckland, Patrick Dunn has written to Powershop saying he is outraged the company has grouped the Pope with people described by Powershop as rotten demagogues.

He also takes issue with the depiction of the Pope marrying two men.

Dunn has asked Powershop to remove the billboards, which he says are outrageous and highly offensive.

Although the company has in the past responded to complaints by removing images, Powershop has declined the Bishop's request, saying they will remain on display until the end of the month.

Previously formal complaints to the Advertising Standards Authority about bus shelter and website ads for Powershop, featuring pictures of Saddam Hussein, Richard Nixon, Che Guevara and Kim Jong-Il were partly settled, partly not upheld.

Powershop denies it has labeled the Pope as "rotten demagogue famous the world over for his abuse of power". The implication is merely that the Pope symbolises "crusty utilities, many of whom remain resistant to the changes happening in our world."

Powershop chief executive Ari Sargent says:

"Specifically, the Pope image has been chosen because the Marriage Equality debate/issue aligns well with values Powershop stands for - freedom of choice and equality."

Sargent says he is "a little" worried about backlash from Catholics, "but we are happy to stand up for our values."

The bilboards are the latest in a series based on the theme "Same Power, Different Attitude". Earlier ones have depicted dictators such as Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein.

Powershop then moved into fictional territory with ads featuring Jaws, Daleks, Darth Vader and Frankenstein. A cease and desist letter from LucasFilm moved the campaign back in the direction of well-known humans, such as Margaret Thatcher.

Previously in a blog on its website, Powershop said the "Same Power, Different Attitude" campaign took a "bunch of rotten demagogues, famous the world over for their abuse of power, and recasts them as people who do decent things in their community".

The most recent posting on its blog states:

"In the last few days we have launched the next chapter of our "Same Power, Different Attitude" campaign. We've embraced a current and relevant public debate to take the campaign in a completely different direction."

"Like previous editions, this latest version of Powershop's long-running campaign is intended to be both thought provoking and satirical. Kiwis have widely debated the issue of marriage equality over the last year, so we've used the issue to point out that large institutions can sometimes lose touch with their modern constituents. The power industry is dominated by crusty utilities, many of whom remain resistant to the changes happening in our world."

"We live in a world that has embraced freedom and equality. If something's working for you and it's not hurting anyone else, then we support your right to do it. We also believe it's the responsibility of anybody in a position of power to consider whether their exercise of that power is bringing a greater or lesser happiness to the world. And we know that applies to us as much as anyone."

"Some readers have raised concerns that we are describing the Pope as a "rotten demagogue" and that he has "violated human rights". This is incorrect. We are categorically not saying the Pope is a rotten demagogue or that he has violated human rights. These statements related to the characters featured in the first instalment of the Same Power, Different Attitude campaign (Kim Jong Il and Saddam Hussein). As stated at the start of this post, we are now taking the "Same power, different attitude" campaign in a different direction."

Source

• Radio New Zealand
• New Zealand Herald
• Stop Press
• GayNZ.com
• Blog.Powershop.co.nz
• Image: Blog.Powershop.co.nz