Patients behind the curtain (by Tobias and Violeta)

Two weeks ago the very first issue of the German version of VANITY FAIR saw the light of day and was sold out within hours. For weeks large banners all over the city announced the release and promised us “a new magazine for Germany”. It was a common talk, the chief editors of other German magazines became nervous and were anxious of the appearance of the first issue. It came out with an elegant shiny, black cover and golden writing and presented - as we all expected - a mixture of interviews, portraits and lots of pictures inside. On the second cover (below the black release-cover) the fortunately rather forgotten German actor Til Schweiger was smiling while holding a cute baby animal (a lamb?) on his naked arms… Why not?

Now the dust has settled but the banners are still there resp. here and one of them caught our eyes a few days ago. One of the tallest buildings in the centre of Berlin (there are not many high buildings in Berlin) is mantled by the VANITY FAIR´s corporate identity colours black and gold. And that building - we are not kidding (see picture) - is the famous hospital Charité. We couldn´t believe our eyes, but it is true. Probably the material of the drapery is transparent (at least from one side) or it has got tiny, tiny holes so that people can look through it from inside the building. But isn´t it a strange image: you are taken to hospital, you are suffering or at least not in a very good mood, you appreciate (if you are able to) every sunray coming through the window and than you find yourself behind a tremendous advertising banner of a new general-interest-magazine!
What´s that? A new unethical marketing strategy? A pragmatic source of income for the hospital? Or is it just absurd?