Louis Vuitton’s advertisement featuring former soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev raised a lot of attention when it made it to print in 2007. The luxury designer and manufacturer of purses, handbags and travel cases seemed an odd match for the stoic Gorbachev, who was 76 years old at the time of the ad’s release. It marked a drastic departure from the young stars and starlets that have traditionally featured in the company’s advertisements. Many believe that the ad campaign is designed to stress the brands authenticity in an attempt to win customers over from the replica purse and handbag market. The image was of Gorbachev seated in the back of a luxury car next to a Louis Vuitton travel bag, driving alongside a remaining part of the Berlin wall. The caption reads "A journey brings us face to face with ourselves. Berlin Wall. Returning from a Conference." 
But there’s a whole other element to the ad that really has people talking. A magazine protruding from the Louis Vuitton bag on the seat next to Gorbachev bares the following words: “The Murder of Litvinenko: They Wanted to Give Up the Suspect for $7,000.” The text is upside down in the photo, and reads in Russian.
Alexander Litvinenko was a former KGB officer who died after coming in contact with the substance radionuclide polonium-210, and who alleged from his deathbed that Vladimir Putin’s Russian Government poisoned him. Litvinenko was a Russian dissident who had written books and released statements that publicly accused the Putin government of a number of illegal acts and atrocities.
As of yet, no one has been able to identify the publication containing the reference to Litvinenko in the Louis Vuitton ad. Louis Vuitton immediately released a statement downplaying the appearance of the text: “Our Company has absolutely no intention to pass on any other messages than the one on ‘personal journeys’”. Personal journeys are the theme of the luggage campaign, which in addition to Gorbachev has featured tennis legends Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, as well as guitarist Keith Richards. The campaign has renewed interest in Louis Vuitton purses and luggage, and also in replica purse manufactures that stock imitation Louis Vuitton handbags.
U.S. Photographer Annie Leibovitz shot all the ads in the series, but she too denies trying to insert any sort of political undertones into the ad. A spokesperson for Leibovitz said that her stylists had acquired a handful of Russian magazines to make the shoot look authentic, without any knowledge of what was printed on them. “Remember, at that time, this was the news of the day. Whatever the news of the day is includes political information.” He also pointed out that the text appeared upside-down, in italics, and small enough to require a magnifying glass to read.
There are many who believe that if Louis Vuitton did place the magazine in the bag intentionally, admitting to it would only serve to dissolve all the publicity it has attracted. Since the translation of the text began circulating the Internet, there have been increases in web searches for Louis Vuitton purses, as well as for replica purse manufactures that carry knock-offs of their signature handbags.