Burt Reynolds Airbrushed For SI Ad

In terms of advertising, the swimsuit issue is the Super Bowl for Sports Illustrated. And the ad that truly caught our eye — er, bore a creepy hole in it — was the gatefold on page 44 featuring a vintage shot of hairy, nude Burt Reynolds sprawled out on a bear rug, strategically covering his, uh, bits and pieces. Women’s Wear Daily saw the ad, too, and spotted a difference between it and the original spread in a 1972 Cosmopolitan: Reynolds is now a non-smoker.

The explanation from Michael Kadin, group creative director of Deutsch Los Angeles, the agency, uh, behind the ad:

“We were just trying to be politically correct and not promote smoking.”

Is smoking a political issue for advertisers? Did we miss something?

Is Nothing Sacred … [WWD]

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