A family is shown in the advertisement discussing Gorbachev's political legacy inside a Pizza Hut. The two guys are at odds until the woman says that Gorbachev gave them a Pizza Hut.
Pizza Hut, a representative of American culture, was one of the first US companies to reach the USSR. In the beginning, Gorbachev declined to take part out of fear for his reputation as a former leader in a post-Soviet world, as per reports. However, he eventually agreed because he needed a new office space for his organisation. He was apparently paid $1 million by Pizza Hut.
The advertisement is controversial since it is frequently used as evidence of capitalism's triumph in Russia, known for its Leninist past. The political philosophy, which takes its name from Russian Marxist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, advocates the construction of a proletariat dictatorship presided over by a revolutionary vanguard party as a necessary political step before communism can be realised.
Also Read: It’s complicated: Relationship status of Mikhail Gorbachev and Vladimir Putin
Mikhail Gorbachev’s make-over from a “Communist reformer to Pizza Hut salesman" was highly criticised and ridiculed in his own country even though it was widely accepted in the West. The late leader was known for his policies - glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring).
The advertisement, which at the time was highly publicised, encapsulated the controversy over the Soviet legacy in Russia. Pizza Hut wanted to produce high-profile advertisements using well-known faces around the world. Muhammad Ali promoted Pizza Hut at that time in another advertisement.
Former US President Donald Trump starred in a Pizza Hut advertisement in the 90s to promote a new large-size pizza.
Mikhail Gorbachev, who ended Cold War, died on August 31 at the age of 91.
