Last Tuesday, a controversial print ad that depicted September 11th happening with dozens of planes instead of two was released on several blogs and news sites worldwide. The ad was created in December 2008 by a team at DDB Brazil on behalf of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

The team that created the ad does not work any more with the agency. Sergio Valente, president of DDB Brasil, said the ad was presented to the WWF in Brazil in December 2008 and approved; it then ran once in a small local paper. Besides, he adds: “When I saw it, I said, ‘Stop running that ad!” . Besides, Adweek confirm today that the Brazilian WWF DID approve the ad print in 2008, as mentioned in an e-mailed statement from DDB.

Yesterday, a video version of the ad was released on Youtube, and it's even worse than the original print ad. While New Yorkers and Americans  were appalled by the reference to that disastrous day, WWF still says that the print and TV ad were never approved. The video has been submitted to an awards show in the US and to the Cannes Lions International  Advertising Festival.

This video will become a Youtube hit and it is a perfect ad for next week’s 9/11. Watch it and tell us what you think of.