Good news for MoveOn, according to Sheila Lennon CBS has denied the organization’s request to air the winning Bush in 30 seconds ad, because supposedly the ad focuses on an ‘issue’, and CBS won’t take issues-based advertising during the Superbowl.
Already people are expressing outrage, particularly since, according to Sheila:
CBS will however run anti-smoking ads during the game and, for the third year, an entry from The White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (remember the “drug use aids terrorists” ads?).
I like the MoveOn ad. I think it’s wonderfully orchestrated, and beautifully filmed. However, about the worst place to plunk this ad would have been during a Superbowl, to a lot of people sitting around in a party mood, drinking beer, and eating too much. The same people who want to forget the problems facing this country for a few hours during a sports game, and who are going to react negatively to having said problems forced into their face during their time of ‘escape’.
Now, the MoveOn ad will get publicity because of CBS’s denial, and it won’t cost a penny. More importantly, it will be viewed in the more appropriate context – as a political statement, within the context of a political statement.
Perfect.
Dan Gillmor had talked about this in a humorous, slightly catty posting earlier:
Or maybe it’s all a plot by the CBS outpost of the Liberal Media Conspiracy ™. Here’s the idea: Turn down the ad, which will generate a firestorm of publicity, and then the ad will get played on all the news shows – free advertising and a much bigger bang for the buck. Maybe CBS is plotting with MoveOn.org! Ooooh, those clever lefties.
However, it’s genuinely gratifying to discover that CBS actually has some standards. That’s not obvious given the quality of the network’s programming.
Meow!
