Why Advertisers Bailed on Laura Ingraham

Advertising dollars speak loud.  It’s what makes the media world go around.  I know this personally having been the Worldwide Media Director for Hewlett Packard.  At HP, I was managing a $500M media budget.  Yep, that’s millions.  A huge number which I was privileged to manage and create some of the most memorable campaigns along with my fellow colleagues and agency partners.

Bring in Laura Ingraham the Fox News host who recently made a ludicrous comment about 17 year old David Hogg a Parkland, FL student who survived the vicious mass murder shooting in Florida.  The result of that tweet has led to 8 advertisers to drop her show, an apology from Ingraham and the quick announcement that she had a pre-planned vacation scheduled and would be gone a week.

And the move by those advertisers didn’t surprise me at all.  Here’s a few things most smart Media Directors live by.   

The first, where you advertise has a direct reflection on the brand and values of the company.  That’s not to say controversy is unacceptable – in fact nearly all shows these days are.  But, there’s controversy and literal stupidity. 

The second rule of media buying.  How much stomach acid do you want to have when someone says something stupid or ignorant and it does not reflect your brand?  I can tell you that the majority of Media Directors don’t have enough antacid to stand the ground for a particular show. 

Now, the third rule of media.  One show doesn’t make a media schedule.  It’s easy to drop a show or network and move the money.  It takes one phone call.

And finally, the fourth rule of media.  Money talks.  When advertisers drop you and the money train is leaving without you on it, it’s amazing how fast an apology comes or condemnation from a network.

You might believe Laura Ingraham was in the right or that it’s wrong the advertisers dropped her show. That’s your opinion.  However, it doesn’t negate the fact that TripAdvisor, Wayfair, Hulu, Nutrish, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle, Atlantis Paradise Island and Stitch Fix bailed.  And I’ll bet you money they don’t come back to her show to advertise in the future.   

Money talks folks, bullsh*t walks.

Scott