Posted on 06/19/2003 2:45:32 PM PDT by TennTuxedo
LIPTON ICED TEA DIXIE CHICKS ADS PULLED
Unilever Says It Will Continue Running Current Spots June 19, 2003 QwikFIND ID: AAO77M By Hillary Chura
BOSTON (AdAge.com) -- An ad for Lipton Iced Tea that features the Dixie Chicks is being pulled, according to people familiar with the situation. The country music group's lead singer in March during a concert was made comments critical of President Bush in the days leading up to the country's war with Iraq.
No comment A spokeswoman for Unilever, which jointly markets Lipton with PepsiCo in the Pepsi-Lipton Tea Partnership, would not comment on why the Dixie Chicks ad is not running but said, "Lipton has a number of different advertising and promotional plans in the works and has opted for now to run the commercials that currently are on air."
It's uncertain when or if the ad will run. The ads were to have debuted in May to coincide with the group's first world tour in three years.
Three current 30-second spots, which focus on getting back to a healthy way of living, started running in May in the slots designated for the Dixie Chicks ad, according to one person familiar with the situation. The person said the ads were rushed into production after comments made by Natalie Maines, the group's lead singer, caused a furor among some country music fans.
Texas dustup In a concert in England just prior to the start of the war in Iraq, Ms. Maines told the crowd: "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The group is also from Texas. Radio stations organized boycotts, and Ms. Maine's later issued an apology
J. Walter Thompson Co., New York, produced the Dixie Chicks ads as well as those on air now. The decision not to run the ad has had no effect on the Lipton's sponsorship of the Grammy-winning group's "Top of the World Tour." The plan was for the tour was to offer Lipton a portable integrated marketing opportunity that would have included an associated Lipton Iced Tea TV spot.
PepsiCo and JWT, part of WPP Group, did not return calls for comment.
Lipton Iced Tea spent $2.9 million in measured media last year, according to TNS Media Intelligence/ CMR.
Lemme see if I've got this straight -- if, for example, a Jew refuses to patronize a company because that company sponsors a known anti-Semite, is that Jew depriving the anti-Semite of his right to free speech? Because if he's doing that, he can be prosecuted for that under federal law. Are you sure that somebody's being deprived of their right to free speech here?
On a Fleetwood Mac note, some have said their song 'Peacekeeper' is an anti-war slam against Bush. Well, I saw them in concert last week (incredible show!) and Lindsay Buckingham said before the song: 'Without love, there's justice. Without justice, there's always force.' I kinda viewed that as a positive statement. :)
No, that is the F.U.Twenty.Too.
:)
I have no idea. Like I said I don't know a neocon from a Dodge Neon from a paleocon from a jurassicon. Eustace sounds like he's anti-semitic, that's all I said.
I'll bet they weren't canned, they just ran through their contracted time. Anyway, I wouldn't use MCI if they paid me. Personal matter: years ago they offered something like $50 if we switched carriers. We did and they never ponied up the $$$. Came up with all kinds of excuses why not, then offered to give us the rebate in long-distance service instead of the promised cash. We dropped them on principle, and every time their telemarketers call, we tell them why we won't be going to MCI.
Of course, with the Danny Glover thing, it's even easier not to go with them, and they give us an extra reason to tell off the poor telemarketers.
Stupid dog.
I think it was over thirty years ago that people were told to buy American and warned about what would happen if they didn't. I guess America's stores tell the story.
To be honest I was thinking past the Dixie Chicks and focusing on the form of control.
It's just funny to me that "American's" would pull funds and support from a group for speaking their mind ( which is ecohed around the world )and continue to support the corporations that have sent our jobs out of the country.
This article was a bad example of the point I was trying to make.
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