The mayor of Targoviste, a city in southern Romania, reacted to a short commercial of giant fast food restaurant chain KFC, which was shot at the Chindia Tower, the city's best-known landmark.

The commercial, which shows a naked man throwing himself off the tower, has raised some controversies among Romanians, especially in the social media. The short video also appears on the website of KFC Deutschland.

In an open letter addressed to KFC, the Targoviste mayor Daniel Stan said that he would “reserve the right to ask the competent court to repair the image damage that your company has produced to our communities.”

He opened the letter by saying that he was unpleasantly surprised by the commercial KFC shot in Targoviste, at the Curtea Domneasca National Museum Complex, near Chindia Tower.

“I believe that the filming and the exposure are likely to put a stain on one of the city’s century-old emblems, a point of reference for the community, loved and respected by the Romanians, and not only by the Romanians. What you have done is both offensive and outrageous, and our community has reacted accordingly, strongly disapproving the initiative,” reads the open letter posted on the mayor’s Facebook page.

He reminds the company that Targoviste is a city of historical importance, as it was the capital of Wallachia for more than three centuries. The mayor also said that those who filmed the commercial should have done more research before “making such a controversial video.”

“This message is one of indignation at the unprofessional way in which you treated Targoviste. I believe it is imperative to stop the broadcasting of the commercial that damages the image of our city and to reconsider the way you relate to this community and its values in the future.”

The Curtea Domneasca National Museum Complex also reacted to KFC’s commercial and the information in the local media, saying that it “separates itself from any action intended to damage the image of the monumental ensemble.” Moreover, in a statement issued on June 22, the institution says that the commercial is a post - production material. It also says that the national museum complex’s manager “was at no time informed about the final content of the spot, a breach of the provisions of the space rental contract, based on which the shooting team present at Targoviste had the obligation to not damage the image of the historical monument.”

As such, the Curtea Domneasca National Museum Complex asked the advertising production company to clarify all the issues that have caused this situation. Based on the company’s response, the institution will “act accordingly.”

KFC Romania also had a first reaction in this case. "We mention that the KFC Romania team had no involvement in the making of the spot in question," Ana Filipescu, PR Manager, told local Adevarul.

KFC Germany, the beneficiary of the advertising spot, has issued an apology to the Targoviste residents and said the add didn't want to be offensive to the city or to Romanians in general. The company's representatives said they had knowingly chosen this tower, which is one of the most beautiful in Europe, according to Digi24.ro. The spot was only supposed to be aired in Germany, according to the company.

The commercial was posted on YouTube on June 6, but the company later disabled it.

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Wikipedia)