Category: Mystery Post

Love All Kinds of Love: Did Bench Create a Fake Controversy With its Gay Couple Billboard Ad?

The “Love All Kinds of Love” ad campaign by Bench (a Philippines’ based clothing brand) is heating up social media with its “defaced” billboard featuring a gay couple. Was the billboard vandalized? Was the billboard censored? or Did Bench marketing staff do the defacing themselves to generate controversy? Is other words, is #PaintTheirHandsBack just an elaborate gimmick?

The Philippines is home to more than 100 million people, so there must be a lot of gay people in the country. Fashion is also one of the industries that seem to be gay tolerant. Bench, a Philippines based clothing brand that now has an international presence, unveiled its ad campaign just in time for Valentine’s. The campaign, titled “Love All Kinds of Love”, featured platonic love between a grandmother (veteran Filipina actress Gloria Romero) and her grandson, and romantic love between straight, gay and lesbian couples.

This was the gay couple ad photo. It features Vince Uy and Nino Gaddi Continue reading Love All Kinds of Love: Did Bench Create a Fake Controversy With its Gay Couple Billboard Ad?

Advertisement

Who’s the Left Shark at Super Bowl XLIX?

The New England Patriots won over the Seattle Seahawks. The audience was treated to an exciting finish. The game had record ratings. NBC got to charge US$ 4.5 million per 30 second ad. Katy Perry wowed in the halftime show. However, the unexpected winner of Super Bowl XLIX is Left Shark.

 

Left shark fumbling the choreography at Super Bowl XLIX halftime show
Left shark with two left feet. Image from NBC

Continue reading Who’s the Left Shark at Super Bowl XLIX?

A Creative Way to Expense Kickbacks?

Many companies, willingly or unwillingly, will have to deal with corrupt entities. The corrupt entity may be from the government or a private firm. To facilitate a deal, get favorable contracts, or secure the necessary permits, kickbacks will have to be given at some point. Though most jurisdictions outlaw the giving of kickbacks, this practice continues to be a way of life for many businesses. Obviously, the cost of the kickbacks is less than the benefit from the deal, or else, there is no point in handing them out. For these companies that give kickbacks, the money is treated as cost of doing business.

To deter this unsavory practice, tax agencies obviously don’t allow kickbacks to be expensed for tax purposes. The practice of giving kickbacks is also a criminal offense. However, for the financially creative, they’ll find ways to go around the restrictions.

A corruption scandal is currently making headlines. One party (OP) is alleging impropriety in a land deal that involved a high ranking official (HO). According to OP, this was how the kickbacks to HO were disbursed. Continue reading A Creative Way to Expense Kickbacks?