From Tom Taylor's column today...
“This is why we don’t advertise on talk radio,” says a rep from the Belk retail chain. Call it “the anatomy of a two-sided controversy, with the client in the middle.” A vendor runs a spot mentioning Belk. Media/political activists whip up protest on social media. Then supporters of the radio show counter-protest, after the client says it’s got a policy of not running spots in talk shows. Belk’s Jessica Graham tells the Raleigh News & Observer that this week’s hubbub about a Belk-connected ad that ran inside a Rush Limbaugh broadcast illustrates why it adopted its policy. Here’s the News & Observer timeline – “The ad was apparently first noticed Monday by a group on Facebook that monitors Rush Limbaugh’s advertisers, in an effort to pressure the talk show host financially. On Tuesday, the liberal website Daily Kos mentioned the ad.” That led to protests on Belk’s Facebook page (“I cannot support or recommend your business while you sponsor Rush”). Then came the pushback from conservatives “incensed that the company was not advertising with Limbaugh” – as in “I’m going to cut the Belk card now.” If you’re the client – it’s not a fight you want to be in.
Sounds pleasant, doesn't it?
