Political statement? Plea for tolerance? Maybe in part, but this recently posted Los Angeles billboard featuring a U.S. soldier and a Muslim woman embracing is mostly just an ad for a sleep aid.
With limited copy beyond the hashtag #betogether, the ad’s message is obviously left open to interpretation. But the primary meaning meaning is that SnoreStop—a company that sells anti-snoring oral and nasal sprays and tablets—keeps couples together.
The brand’s website features testimonials from a variety of demographics; homosexual couples, heterosexual couples and interracial couples alike applaud SnoreStop.
The company admits it was trying to get people’s attention but denies that it is making U.S. soldiers and Muslims the butt of a joke.
“SnoreStop is a product for couples, and we want to show couples that you normally don’t see in advertising,” spokeswoman Melody Devemark told CBS Los Angeles. “People feel that we are trying to misuse the image of military servicemen. I think they don’t understand that there are couples like this that do exist. It’s just that you’re not used to seeing them.”
