Life Savers Ministries founder James Anderegg said it didn’t occur to him that using an Adolf Hitler quote on a billboard was a bad idea — until everyone in the community spoke up.
“We are a children’s organization and had honorable intentions and nothing less,” Anderegg told Ledger-Enquirer after Life Savers Ministries was criticized for the advertisement. “We are pulling the billboard and certainly never intended to cause confusion.”
The billboard featured a super-sized quote Hitler gave during the Reichsparteitag in 1935 to encourage children to join Hitler Youth: “He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.” The statement was even attributed to Hitler on the billboard, so it’s not like Anderegg could claim ignorance.
Owning up to the ill-conceived ad, Anderegg said they would have been better off quoting Herbert Hoover, who said, “Children are our most valuable resource.” (For the record, Anderegg, professional marketing groups are also valuable resources… You should consider working with them for future billboards.)
