Even the Shah of Iran has Done a Celebrity Tech Endorsement

Even if you saw yesterday’s post about celebrity tech endorsements, do check it again — I’ve been updating it with more ads for computers and videogames featuring celebrities, and I still have to add a few more.

Here’s an 1970s print ad that seems gallows-humor funny today, considering that there are people itching to attack Iran before they develop nuclear weapons. It features the Shah of Iran as a poster boy for a campaign encouraging more nuclear power plants in the U.S.:

Here’s the text of the ad:

Guess Who’s Building Nuclear Power Plants

The Shah of Iran is sitting on top of the largest reservoirs of oil in the world.

Yet he’s building two nuclear plans and planning two more to provide electricity for his country.

He knows the oil is running out — and time with it.

Be he wouldn’t build the plants now if he doubted their safety. He’d wait. As many Americans want to do.

The Shah knows that nuclear energy is not only economical, it has enjoyed a remarkable 30-year saftey record. A record that was good enough for the citizens of Plymouth, Massachusetts, too. They’ve approved their second nuclear plant by a vote of almost 4 to 1. Which shows you that you don’t have to go as far as Iran for an endorsement of nuclear power.

For more about Iran’s history with nuclear power (and how it intertwines with U.S. foreign policy), see this article at Foreign Policy in Focus.