Tracfone's Interesting Advertising Theory

[Teallaura]

I sent a email protesting their sponsorship of a particular show. This was the response:

Dear Valued Customer,

TracFone Wireless Inc. does not condone or support the content of any
particular show or network. As a national advertiser we have agreements
with several networks and as such, our ads run in a variety of programs.
Please reach out to Cartoon Network directly with any concerns you may
have regarding programming and content on their network.

Sincerely,

TracFone Wireless

Now, I can veto ads on my website and set perimeters of what kinds of ads I permit - that's just sensible business since you don't want ads running people off. If I can do that with my rinky dink website, is this really an excuse from a major corporation regarding its advertising?

Oh, and Tracfone, if you're paying for it, you most certainly ARE supporting it...

[Cow Poke]

Kind of a plausible deniability policy.

[Catholicity]

Its like a catch 22. They get money from a certain company for selling the rights to the logo as an advertisement, and the company or network uses the logo freely. However the company receiving the money isn't responsible for the content of each individual show. it does oddly enough work that way. Its kind of like, if I work at a vitamin store that sells pennyroyale tinctures among everything else it sells The shop pays me and I sell pennyroyale to whomever wishes to buy it. I'm not responsible for the pennyroyale or how a person uses it. I just have to sell it. (Pennyroyale is a wierd herb and has some very objectionable uses)

[Truthseeker]

Off topic, but what advertising agency are you working with?

[rogue06]

Are they implying that they have no control over what shows are on when their commercials run? That they let Cartoon network decide?

[Juvenal]

Now, I can veto ads on my website and set perimeters of what kinds of ads I permit - that's just sensible business since you don't want ads running people off. If I can do that with my rinky dink website, is this really an excuse from a major corporation regarding its advertising?

Oh, and Tracfone, if you're paying for it, you most certainly ARE supporting it...

Kind of a plausible deniability policy.

The cheapest ad rates are for rotations from a network, so there's a healthy grain of truth in their response. If you're buying a rotation, you don't get to pick shows for your ads. I've been out of the business since 2002, so I couldn't say if Tracfone is a cheap advertiser. But if a show is toxic enough, even if they're buying rotations, they'll still call their account executives and demand to be pulled from that show. It used to happen with Jerry Springer all the time, even though his ratings were sky high.

I'm guessing the show isn't toxic enough for them. What show bugged you enough to write them, Teal?

[Juvenal]

Are they implying that they have no control over what shows are on when their commercials run? That they let Cartoon network decide?

That's the way rotations work. The network plugs an advertiser buying rotations into whatever slots are most convenient for the network, which lets the network fill low-demand inventory, which is why rotations go for lower rates.

[Teallaura]

The cheapest ad rates are for rotations from a network, so there's a healthy grain of truth in their response. If you're buying a rotation, you don't get to pick shows for your ads. I've been out of the business since 2002, so I couldn't say if Tracfone is a cheap advertiser. But if a show is toxic enough, even if they're buying rotations, they'll still call their account executives and demand to be pulled from that show. It used to happen with Jerry Springer all the time, even though his ratings were sky high.

I'm guessing the show isn't toxic enough for them. What show bugged you enough to write them, Teal?

That was my point - only a fool company would give it's sponsorship decisions to another with no recourse if they did something stupid. Tracfone hasn't gotten enough complaints - fine, but don't lie to me and say 'well, it's not our call at all'.

I'm not giving that thing any pixels - if you are really curious (and seriously, you can't guess?) pm me.

[Juvenal]

Well, I haven't owned a television in years now, so I'm not up on the shows. I did check their schedule, but the only shows I've even heard about are South Park, the Daily Show, and Colbert and I've never watched a full episode of any of them, just clips on the 'net.

So no, I can't guess.

[Teallaura]

Um, those are Comedy Central - I don't watch it at all.

PM on the way.

[rogue06]

That was my point - only a fool company would give it's sponsorship decisions to another with no recourse if they did something stupid. Tracfone hasn't gotten enough complaints - fine, but don't lie to me and say 'well, it's not our call at all'.

I'm not giving that thing any pixels - if you are really curious (and seriously, you can't guess?) pm me.

Black Jesus?

[Teallaura]

[rogue06]

I'll take that as a

[Juvenal]

Dang, they named the network in their response! I read "Cartoon" and thought about the only network I knew that had cartoon shows. What next, a network just for shopping?

[Teallaura]

I don't know how to break this to you but there's this thing called QVC...