Watching Glenn Beck's CNN infomercial for his upcoming anti-climate action book last week, it wasn't Beck's content that grabbed my attention. Blame the media, omit key facts, claim common sense is on your side, violate Godwin's Law by comparing your opponents to Hitler -- all standard conservative fare, really.What struck me instead was the content of Beck's commercials, and what it said about his audience.
I was shocked there were several spots for mainstream companies that should be ashamed to be associated with a hatemonger like Beck (more on that after the jump). But I was also amused that despite all the show's slick graphics, open-collared shirts, and other attempts to be hip, the commercials were clearly targeted at one demographic: Grumpy old men.
Media Matters does a much better job of attacking Beck's content than I ever could. But let's take a look at his list of advertisers, broken down by key demographics:
GRUMPY:
US Chamber of Commerce's Tort Reform campaign
PhRMA.org's campaign against lower prescription drug prices
OLD:
Accenture
Ameriprise Financial
Assurant Health
Bayer
CapitalOne
Commit
Countrywide Home Loans
Johnson & Johnson
LendingTree.com
Liberty Mutual
Partnership for Prescription Assistance (pparx.org)
Steak-Umms
Zantac
MEN:
NuFinish
Jiffy Lube
BG Fuel Service
Armor All
Joseph A. Bank
I'm not excusing their support for one of America's leading purveyors of ignorance, but I'm guessing they're trying to reach Beck's old, white, male viewers. However, these companies are more perplexing (linked to contact page):
Applebee's (two ads) - I guess Applebee's, with its NASCAR-crowd reputation, assumes conservative = southern? In a nice bit of irony, the chain recently announced they're shutting down 24 locations.
Aveeno - This commercial stuck out like a sore thumb. If Beck's audience is mainly grumpy old men, what's an ad for a feminine beauty product doing in there? Aveeno is produced by Johnson & Johnson (see "OLD"), so that may have something to do with it.
DoubleTree -- This chain is owned by Hilton International. Current chairman Barron Hilton has quite a past, including a stint in the oil industry, and takes credit for getting Hilton into the gambling business. Charming.
Marriott (two ads) - You'd think a hotel chain that got its hands dirty in an energy scam would want to keep its nose clean. You'd be wrong. Chairman Bill Marriott, Jr. is a strong supporter of the Bushes, so the ad isn't entirely surprising.
Verizon - Very strange that a company trying to build on a subscriber base in the tens of millions would align itself with a fringe show. I was about to renew my cell phone contract with Verizon since they're the only cell company with service in DC's Metro, but after seeing this, I'm reconsidering.
Volvo - Considering Volvo's reputation as the luxury car of Vermont tree-huggers, this is arguably the most surprising entry on the list.
If you do contact any or all of these companies, I'd keep it short and sweet:
What is your company doing buying advertising time during the show of a hatemonger like CNN's Glenn Beck? He's said that he "hates" the families of the victims of September 11, that Hurricane Katrina victims are "scumbags," and equates Muslim-Americans with terrorists. Your sponsorship of Beck's shows suggests you support these views. If so, I'll have to reconsider doing any business with your company in the future.
I am not entirely sure who has taken their place. Some have suggested the Subaru is the new Volvo - I went to Volkswagen myself.
This category includes most grumpy old white men who can't cope with the looming loss of their automatic position atop the social-political totem pole. In their view they are responsible for almost all progress in the world, and women should be grateful for the protection and coddling they have received from white men throughout history.. and who are these little brown macacas trying to muscle in on a good thing?
Change is always with us of course. In the past change has oftentimes given us more, faster, better, etc, etc, and folks don't seem to mind that sort of change as much. Change where you have to give up stuff, and reduce expectations is much harder to deal with, I think.
The other day there was someone on DailyKos who said "You can't expect kids to walk 3 miles to school.". My response was that my parents and grandparents did exactly this without giving it a 2nd thought, and besides this, the kids could use the exercise.
Thank you for contacting the Verizon eCenter. I have received your email dated May 7, 2007 regarding our advertising. My name is Jonathan.
We appreciate you sharing your concerns with us. We value the opinions of our customers. It is not Verizon's policy to advertise on political websites, radio stations, or television broadcasts.
Please understand that our advertising is in no way meant to support, or serve as any endorsement of the political philosophies or beliefs associated with radio and television personalities.
Thank you for using Verizon. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
Jonathan
Verizon eCenter