Re: Why Firing Phelps Might Cost Kellogg More Customers
- From: chatnoir <wolfbat359a@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2009 14:56:59 -0800 (PST)
On Feb 9, 3:35 pm, trudogg <independ...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Kellogg Co. recently fired Michael Phelps for admitting he smoked
marijuana (after a picture of him taking a bong hit came out on the
press). This is a decision that would have been absolutely justified
in 1955. But this is 2009. No one gives a damn. In fact, they are more
likely to lose customers than gain them by making such a public
display of their displeasure.
You know how many people have smoked marijuana in America? A whopping
42%. That is a huge chunk of the country Kellogg has just personally
insulted because they are saying implicitly that their behavior is so
wrong that they would fire them over it.
But what's worse is the even larger percentage who don't care if
anyone else smokes marijuana and are turned off by anyone else who
judges them for it. Now, I'm not a pothead. I don't think hemp is the
answer for all of our problems (you know someone smokes a lot of pot
when they feverishly tell you that you can make pants out of hemp -
yes, but is that what you do with it?) . But I - and everyone else I
know - could not possibly care less if someone else wants to smoke
pot.
Yes, there is still a certain percentage of the country that is mental
about this. They have no problem if their son drinks two gallons of
alcohol, but a joint and they lose it. I think this is a cultural
thing more than anything else. I think pot represents hippies,
liberals and all that's wrong with America to them. And yes, this is
about 25% of the country.
But what about the other 75%? You annoy them when you side with the
prudish minority. You offend their sensibilities when you kowtow to
the puritan zealots. Every single person I have spoken to says they
are less likely to buy Kellogg products now that they have fired
Michael Phelps. Not because we love Michael Phelps, not because we
think you can make pants out of hemp, but because it seems like they
are choosing sides in the culture war. And it's the wrong side.
Now, advertisers are scared to death of doing anything political. But
this firing is political. You are choosing sides with the minority of
the country that cares about so-called moral improprieties like this.
As a business, is that the side you want to be on? Do you really want
to go against the interest of the sizeable majority?
The country has changed dramatically since the 1950's. And it appears
the only people who haven't caught on to this are advertisers. You are
no longer protecting your brand when you are prudish and overly
careful. You just seem out of touch. Ozzie and Harriet don't exist
anymore, so why are you still trying to sell them products?
Unfortunately, this outmoded way of thinking for the advertisers has
enormous implications for our media, too. The sponsors are the boss.
If they want plain, vanilla, boring, unchallenging programming - that
is exactly what they'll get. They are scared to death of advertising
in anything that pushes the envelope. So, interesting, edgy programs
get edged out (or they go to HBO).
So, this antiquated mindset isn't just annoying and counterproductive,
it causes the watering down of all entertainment. Whenever a big
advertiser comes into a new program, the first thing they want you to
do is tone down everything you do. It makes everything on television
more boring, less challenging and ultimately more fake. Sponsors
believe fake sells. If you're too honest or if you act like a real
human being, as Phelps did the other day, then you have to be avoided
at all costs. Otherwise Ozzie and Harriet will be offended. That would
be true if they hadn't died thirty years ago.
Cenk Uygur
--
The only drugs they should be concerned about here are performance
enhancing drigs!
.
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