Commercial Insuccess

On Monday the 16th of June, the Swan and I were watching Sports Center on ESPN. It was sometime in the afternoon: after work but before prime time. We were watching because we wanted to know the results of Tigers Woods’ play off in the US open. (we don’t normally keep up with golf, but Tiger playing on one leg was interesting.)

Then, with no warning a commercial came on. This wasn’t for golf clubs or beer. This commercial was for a rather personal female product (and we’re not talking hygiene).

Someone put the commercial on youtube because they thought it was funny: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_z13XymWVU&feature=related . Don’t watch that at work or with your kids in the room.

Granted, my daughter is only 5 months old, but had she been 6 years, she would have been in the same place: right in the middle of the living room. I can’t imagine having to answer the question “daddy, what was that?”

Inappropriate was the only answer I could come up with. So, I fired off an email to ESPN. I have been told the situation has been resolved. This post is to make the situation public and to be something to refer back to if they do not keep their word.

From ME to ESPN

My wife and I were watching ESPN yesterday when a commercial for Trojan
vibrator came on. The women on the commercial were very explicit about
the product. My wife and I were in shock. This was a totally
inappropriate commercial. Do you people not think that children watch
ESPN with their parents? I hope you will stop airing this commercial and
others like it.

From ESPN Costumer Service

Thanks for writing.This is a product category that has received an acceptance in television, and the specific spot meets ESPN’s standards. We recognize that not all our viewers will view these ads as appropriate but as a national network with broad appeal, our standards recognize the widely divergent tastes of our national viewers and advertisers.We appreciate your feedback and have shared your comments with our advertising and programming executives.
Sincerely,
ESPN Viewer Response Team

As you can imagine, I was not satisfied with that response. I fired one back at them.
From Me to ESPN

I find you response quite interesting. You claim that the “product category” has received acceptance and imply it is in our culture. Your specific words were “in television”. You must mean amongst the closed network of persons involved in the television industry, because out here in the real world, this product is not even legal to sell in the state in which I live and a handful of others. It is illegal on moral grounds.Also, these products are normally sold in house parties where women giggle and wink at each other but do not tell of their activities outside the house. Or they are sold in “product category” specific stores usually located in the seedy district of town.Compare either of those with Sports Center in the middle of the afternoon. This is the quintessential father/son television program, and you are running a commercial about women masturbating? I am sorry. Your claim that this product is accepted is ludicrous. It might pass ESPN standards, but that is a reflection on ESPN, not our culture.

That one got a response from a real person with real responsibilities.
From Laurel Daggett to ME

Mr. Roberts,My apologies for the miscommunication on this. The product in question does not pass ESPN’s standards. We make time available to cable and satellite providers to place advertisements during our programming.We provide our affiliates with a set of standards for the types of ads that can be placed on our air and I don’t believe that this product would fit within those standards either.We’ll get this message to our marketing rep who handles the DISH account and ask that they remove the ad from our air.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention.

From ME to ESPN

Thank you for this response. I did not wish to be a thorn in ESPN’s side, I just wanted to be able to watch Sports Center without haveing to answer uncomfortable questions.

Feel free to use my name in any discussions with DISH. I am their customer too.

Thank you again.

I’m not exactly sure how to go about following up at this point. I would like to be able to make sure that they do contact DISH. Perhaps I should contact DISH myself. I’ve tried talking to them before to get the Fox Business Channel and they are, shall we say, not user friendly.

Edit : Tuesday 24 June 2008 21:30
Received from Laural Daggett of ESPN

Hi. I’ve received confirmation that this ad has been pulled. We appreciate that you brought this to our attention and please don’t hesitate to contact us with your concerns.

I was not expecting to receive anything back from ESPN. I wrote them back to tell them I was impressed with their prompt attention to the situation and for the personal follow up. Hopefully this means this is taken care of.