Tough Issue for Advertisers: What to Air, When to Air It

The commercial that ran Wednesday night on one New York City television station represented every advertiser’s worst nightmare. The spot promoting a television series showed a model wedged between the now-destroyed World Trade Center towers.

“That’s just outrageous,” said Mark Morris, chairman of Bates North America, a New York advertising agency. “Someone should have said, ‘Oh, my God, stop that.’ It never should have happened.”

Reviewing advertising completed before Tuesday’s terrorist attacks “is a natural thing to do,” Morris said. “You want to know if there is anything that could possibly be perceived as so inappropriate that it would reflect badly upon the company or the manufacturer.”

Chrysler Corp. said Thursday that it pulled a spot showing a sport-utility vehicle maneuvering through an earthquake and other disasters. Another spot that hadn’t yet aired is being reedited because it showed the New York skyline with the World Trade Center towers.

Ford Motor Co. also is reviewing its ads for any shots that show the New York skyline, said Paige Johnson, a spokeswoman for the second-largest auto maker.

Also Thursday, CBS and ABC joined NBC in postponing the launch of their fall seasons as the major networks pressed on with round-the-clock news reports on the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. The three biggest networks--NBC, CBS and ABC--will roll out their new prime-time schedules Sept. 24, a week later than originally planned.

Explaining the delay, the networks have cited Tuesday’s terrorist attacks. But the resulting wall-to-wall news coverage this week also has prevented the broadcasters from promoting their fall lineups.

Much of the advertising world has been standing still since Tuesday morning. But executives at major advertisers are meeting daily to determine when ads should return.

“For us, it’s a question of whether a commercial message is appropriate at this time. And, as of Thursday afternoon, that’s clearly not the case,” said Rob Baskin, a spokesman for Coca-Cola Co., which pulled its network advertising Tuesday.

“Our philosophy is that when people are obsessed with the horrifying news of the last few days, it’s not a good time to be advertising,” said Scott Gilbert, Los Angeles-based chief executive of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. “When people get back into normal lifetime activities, that’s when you want to be advertising.”

Ad industry veteran Peter Seeley knows what it’s like to make a misstep during a time of crisis. The head of global marketing for Coca-Cola during the 1991 Gulf War, Seeley drew criticism for pulling a lighthearted Diet Coke commercial from the Super Bowl XXV broadcast and replacing it with an unusually somber spot.

The rest of the advertising world stuck with glitzy Super Bowl ads, and the game turned into a patriotic celebration of the nation’s resolve. “We thought we’d be seen as the company that ran this happy soft drink commercial,” Seeley said. “In retrospect, I probably went too far.”

Seeley, now an adjunct professor of advertising at UC Berkeley, cautions that it’s just as easy to err on the other side: “You risk not only getting into an embarrassing spot but ending up with something totally inappropriate.”

When around-the-clock news coverage gives way to more traditional fare, viewers will notice some changes in what’s being pitched. Ad agencies are likely to advise makers of detergents and other consumer products to continue advertising.

But branches of the military, for example, might be advised to reconsider their advertising. “You’re talking about the potential of people being in harm’s way, so you might look at the relevance of putting messages out at this point in time,” Bates’ Morris said. “And, in some ways, the best recruitment tool in the world . . . is the tragically patriotic feeling we’re all being forced to face.”

Some executives say the industry’s activities during the Gulf War and after President Kennedy’s assassination offer potential guidelines. But advertisers quickly acknowledge that those historic touchstones pale in comparison with Tuesday’s tragic events.

“Within another week or so, it will be clearer . . . but it’s still very, very raw,” said Tom Wilkinson, director of communications for Chevrolet.

Advertisers will have to remain vigilant as the tragedy continues to unfold. “If we enter a state of war, if you have American planes bombing targets, you’re going to see a change in the tone of ads,” Seeley said.

Some in the industry predict an increase in image advertising that’s designed to help comfort stunned Americans. Several firms are preparing messages similar to a Exxon Mobil Corp. newspaper ad Thursday that recognized the pain and suffering apparent at so many levels.

“It’s almost like public relations,” said Michael Belch, a San Diego State University advertising professor. “If Taco Bell sends out its sympathy to victims of this terrible situation, people will say, ‘That’s a nice thing to do.’ But trying to wrap yourself in the American flag? I wouldn’t go there. People will start to look through it and see crass commercialism.”

Some companies might continue with previously planned advertising campaigns. Taco Bell, which recently introduced a new menu, had intended to unveil a new advertising campaign Sept. 16. A spokeswoman said the company is studying whether to go ahead.

Other companies’ advertising and marketing plans were derailed by Tuesday’s tragedies.

Chevrolet, Coca-Cola and the Salt Lake Organizing Committee for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were forced to delay a ceremony Wednesday to unveil names of Olympic torchbearers. The event was scheduled for Manhattan’s Battery Park.

Pontiac’s plan to unveil a “one-of-a-kind” brand advertising campaign during the Sept. 16 Emmy broadcast evaporated when the awards program was postponed.

It’s apparent that some consumers don’t want to see humorous advertising sandwiched between grim news reports from New York, Washington and wherever else the tragedy touches. But humor won’t go away entirely, said San Diego State University’s Belch. “Are we going to pull off anything that’s funny and go around being morbid for the rest of our lives? No, we’re not going to do that.”

Airlines, observers say, face the toughest choices once the decision is made to resume advertising. Already caught in the twin downdrafts of an economic recession and stalled business travel, airlines now face unprecedented consumer concern that it isn’t safe to fly.

“Necessity, not advertising, is going to drive airline ticket purchases,” said Stuart Fischoff, a professor of media psychology at Cal State Los Angeles.

What will airlines say when they eventually return to advertising?

“I’d probably advise them to take out full-page ads apologizing for what happened, explain that it was beyond our control and then tell how they’re increasing their security,” Belch said.

Seeley agreed: “This isn’t the time for ads about more legroom on American.”

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Reuters was used in compiling this report.