Real guerilla marketing

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.


Anti-capitalist icon Ernesto “Che” Guevara, who with Fidel Castro led Cuba’s 1959 revolution, is now leading an advertising campaign for the spicy version of Smirnoff vodka, according to AP INTERNATIONAL. The use of Che’s famous portrait to sell booze has outraged the man who took it, photographer Alberto Diaz Gutierrez, who has filed suit against the agency responsible for the ad.

The well-known image of Guevara, which has for years graced countless T-shirts and posters to inspire a new generation of would-be revolutionaries, is now seen superimposed over a hammer and sickle motif, with a chili pepper replacing the sickle.

Gutierrez has never previously claimed a copyright, but said he is appalled at the company’s trivializing of the historical icon. The claim, filed with London’s High Court, is scheduled to be heard in September.

PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please do your part and help us reach our $150,000 membership goal by May 31.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate