“We know how to combine theoretical and empirical analyses,” claims the Econ One website. “We not only have the capability to develop sophisticated economic and econometric models, we have the experience and know-how to dig through the data and documents to make sure the facts of the case match the theory of the case.”
And so Econ One, a Los Angeles-based the litigation and business consulting company, is using a photo from the Birkenau death camp to push its services in its advertising.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum have told JTA that they’re consulting with their lawyers after the firm published on its website an image of barbed wire and a guard tower from Birkenau .
Museum employees noticed the image on Friday.
Of course, the first thing the museum attorneys will check to see, is if using the photo violates copyright laws,Bartosz Bartyzel, a museum spokesman, told the Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.
“Using Birkenau is disgusting and immoral,” Bartyzel said.
But breaking copyright laws is serious business…
The text under the photo reads:
“Great work is the only kind that’s okay with us. It takes management of the entire work process. Communicating with clients every step of the way. Committing to a budget, then keeping expectations aligned with what’s really happening so there are no surprises. And efficiently staffing each case to keep costs down. Because when it comes to client service, okay… just isn’t. At least not for our clients.”
Hey, who doesn’t want to be represented by a real shark, in business and in the courts? And who’s sharkier than a Nazi camp commandant?
Makes perfect sense.
Econ One has not responded to a JTA request seeking comment on the image. They will, eventually, when the phones from the big guys start ringing. Meanwhile, JTA reminded readers of two other memorable applications of Holocaust imageries to advertising:
A year ago, the Estonian company GasTerm used an image from Auschwitz in an advertisement. GasTerm representatives said at the time that they wanted to show the gas they produced was not poisonous.
And in January 2012, a gym in Dubai used an image from Auschwitz with the tag line “Kiss your calories goodbye.”