If you're driving down Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles any time soon, keep your eyes peeled for an advertisement which has caused quite a commotion. A billboard of a U.S. soldier embracing a Muslim woman is creating a bit of a stir, and it might be headed for a city near you.
Is this an advertisement for tolerance? Acceptance? It has to be some sort of PSA, right? Wrong.
Snorestop, an anti-snoring sleep aid, commissioned the advertisement to show how it keeps couples together. Couples whose relationships are irreparably harmed by...snoring.
Snorestop spokeswoman Melody Devemark said the company wanted "to show couples that you normally don't see in advertising."
"People feel that we're trying to misuse the image of military servicemen. I think they don't understand that there are couples like this that do exist."
Hey, if Cheerios can do it...
Early reactions to the ad were positive and the Council on American-Islamic relations has given the billboards two thumbs up. They commented "If you have Muslims in an ad for a product that's not about religion or not a PSA, it's a sign that we're accepted as a cultural norm."
The word on the street, however, is that the advertisement is just for shock value. It's an attempt to trick people into looking. Maybe those people are just cranky about the poor sleep they're getting because their spouse saws logs like a lumberjack all night long.
Of all the issues that keep couples from being together, Snorestop believes that snoring is at the top of the list. (Yes, they're serious.)
No more sleeping on the couch or punching your husband in the ribs! Hooray! Stop the snoring and save the world! Or something.
Meet the couple who inspired the Snorestop #BeTogether ad here:
What do you think? Is this ad savvy marketing or shock value only?
The Hollywood Gossip