Posted on 09/16/2004 12:49:25 PM PDT by NewJerseyJoe
I received a response from L.L. Bean in regard to my complaint about its advertising on CBS. I had suggested that, if it's a company/product you like, give "customer outreach" a chance before initiating a boycott. (Of course, I acknowledge that there are circumstances in which an immediate boycott might be the preferred course of action.)
If you'd like to contact L.L. Bean about this, the correct address is: PUBLIC_AFFAIRS@llbean.com
Thank you for contacting L.L. Bean with your concerns.
L.L. Bean did not specifically sponsor or purchase advertising time during the "CBS news with Dan Rather" or "60 Minutes". The company does very limited television advertising and we instruct network and cable stations to show our commercial at a time when a large number of people may see it. Most television shows are not seen at the same time around the country. For that reason, we do not select specific programs. Instead, we instruct television stations on a broader range of criteria such as show the commercial during "prime time"evening hours, no more than six times in one evening, specific nights of the week, etc.
To reach a broad audience we are currently running our one commercial on all the major networks (ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, etc.) and cable channels (BRAVO, CNN, Weather Channel, etc.).
It has always been L.L. Bean's mission to provide information to our customers on our products and services while recognizing a responsibility to, and a deep respect for, all of our customer groups. We are very concerned that you felt compelled to write to us on this issue and hope that the information I have provided gives you a better understanding of our television advertising criteria.
Again, thank you for taking the time to contact us. You are a valued customer and your opinion is very important to us.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Beem
Manager
Public Affairs
Translation:
"Blah blah blah blah;
You are a valued customer and your opinion is very important to us."
Here ya go
http://cabelas.com/
Now, this next question is even more important....Can you verify the information in these fake documents is correct? 
Well, I couldn't last week but I sure can now. I remember like it was yesterday. Actually, I'm not quite sure what yesterday was. What day is today? Where am I? Aren't you that so-and-so who stole my loaf of rye? Of course I remember, all that there fake information is true, and I should know, 'cause I'm wearing 'em and I just did. 
OOPS! I CRAPPED MY PANTS!
I'm wondering if this woman will say, "We will instruct our marketing and media people to stop all advertising on CBS."
If all the Republican flip the bozo bit on Dan Rather, no one will be advertising on CBS much longer.
Too bad. The fact is, they are advertising on CBS and 60 Minutes-2. Regardless of intent, that makes them culpable of funding the fraud.
They cannot be blamed (well, maybe just a little given Dan Blather's history) for a fraud they had no prior knowledge of. However, now that the fraud is ut in the open, any further advertising on CBS constitutes complicity. The real issue for them is that they will lose customers if they do not specifically stop advertising on CBS.
Rather lied NOW Kerry's Fried
CBS
See BS, hear BS, speak BS
Visit the CBS Take Action Site!
List of sponsors, emails, and more...
Make your voice heard here, where it hurt$.
BREAKING: CINGULAR says on FNC's Cavuto that it has not heard of any complaints from consumers due to advertising on CBS.
| Customer Service | 1-800-331-0500 or 611 Mon - Fri : 7am to 9pm Sat : 9am to 6pm |
| From Your Cingular Wireless Phone | 611 (Free airtime call) |
| Sales | 1-866-CINGULAR Prices may vary when calling Cingular directly. |
Did it already!
Unless you are a customer the numbers you posted are of no use.
This is BS and company CYA PR. How do I know? Well, LL Bean has virtually NOTHING to do with the media buying and planning done on their behalf by Martin / Williams Advertising (Omnicom) Minneapolis beyond approving the overall media plan presented to them as clients of that agency.
The way things work is that the Agency decides what programs the client's ads appear in UNLESS they are buying what is known in the business as ROS (A.K.A. "Run of Schedule" or "Rotation" depending on who you will talk to and if you are talking about Spot, Cable or Network). In all liklihood, Martin/Williams pools its clients money and buys chunks of airtime in CBS Prime, then deciding where which client gets spots to air. In defense of LL Bean, the actual schedules would have been worked out well in advance of the ad appearing on 60 Min. LL Bean has the ability as a client to put pressure on their agency and have that agency pull the ads out of programs they formerly were planning on running in.
There ARE companies that do all of their own Advertising Media planning and buying "in-house" but LL Bean is NOT one of them...the response you got from them is not factual UNLESS they are doing their own Media Buying. They rely on an agency to do that for them according to the latest documentation I have.
We understand that the Gorman Family has very little control of the new LLB's nowadays, and it is not the outfit that it used to be by a long shot.
Just last week spoke with a fellow who used to work there; he says it's all big city liberal yuppie wonks who run it now, where employees are merely expendable commodities / chattel, and the bottom line is god.
Some folks have taken to calling it the "Pine Filenes'" and you won't find much of the clothing or other merchandise made in the USA any more.
That's a pity too; it used to be a really neat place to shop.
I will not boycott them because they are known as a great company to work for, provide a tremendous amount of jobs to Mainers in a beautiful environment.
They are a private company and share nice bonuses to all employees. If one was a part of that company in that designated year, and had left for some reason they may share in profits in the way of a bonus nevertheless. They, I am told, will often come into the manufacturing facility and provide unscheduled surprise breaks for their workers with a food service, etc. They offer a company store where employees can purchase at big discounts.
Their reputation for appreciating every single worker should be adopted to this high degree in every company. L.L.Bean is a great employer in the State of Maine....
No, I do not work for Beans; but I hear nothing but ongoing positive comments from those that do.
Their service to customers is also impeccable and you could never meet as nice group of store employees 24 hours a day as at L.L.Bean in Freeport, Maine.
Let's just say I just held back on responding to some very unreliable comments on this story..a NON story!
Have a good evening ;)
fight_truth_decay
Ms. Beem is correct in saying that neither L.L. Bean (nor their advertising agency) has any control over what their "adjacencies" might be for any given spot.
However, within the parameters of their current buy, they may specify that they do NOT wish to purchase adjacencies to either CBS Evening News or 60 Minutes.
Under the circumstances, this is a reasonable request that the network should honor.
A little "advertising lingo" for you there...
The family has absolute and total control of the company. And as another poster has pointed out, the company is great to its employees. Freeport would be nothing more than a yuppie bedroom for Portland if the company were not there to employ most of the native Freeporters. I don't know the new CEO, but I've never heard anything bad about him. I don't work for the company and never have; I do hunt with members of the family and have for years. LL Bean is one of the finest companies in this country, IMHO, with a real dedication to its employees, its customers and its State.
Cabelas...it the largest outdoor products mail order/store company in the us..or one of the biggest. Symbol CAB on the NYSE...a buy.
different animal
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