Wrigley joins GM, Taco Bell in pulling ads from MTV’s ‘Skins’
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Yet another advertiser has jumped ship from MTV’s new series, ‘Skins.’ Wrigley, the parent company of chewing gum brands Orbit and Extra, joins Taco Bell and GM as the third company to pull ads from the show.
In an e-mail to Show Tracker on Friday evening, Jennifer Jackson-Luth, senior manager of marketing communications for Wrigley, wrote, ‘Wrigley has decided to suspend any advertising during MTV’s ‘Skins’ as it is never our intent to endorse content that could offend our consumers. Any ads that previously aired during the show were part of a broader advertising plan with the network.’
Earlier Friday, MTV responded to GM’s and Taco Bell’s retreat from the show in a statement: ‘We have an ongoing dialogue with our advertising partners about the best fit for them across our diverse lineup of shows. We know that not every show works for every advertiser. That said, we are confident that ‘Skins’ will continue to connect with the audience it was created for and that advertisers will take advantage of the opportunity to reach them.’
In the days leading up to its premiere Monday, ‘Skins’ earned the ire of the Parents Television Council, which has labeled the series ‘the most dangerous television show for children that we have ever seen.’ On Tuesday, the PTC issued a ‘take action alert’ urging its members to contact Taco Bell and ask that it stop supporting ‘Skins.’ Now, the PTC has promised to go after all of the show’s major sponsors, including H&R Block, L’Oreal, Schick Hydro, Foot Locker and Subway. The group is also campaigning for the federal government to investigate ‘Skins’ for child pornography.
RELATED:
More trouble for ‘Skins’? Taco Bell, GM pull advertising
Full Show Tracker coverage of ‘Skins’
— Judy Berman
twitter.com/judyberman