Speak Out: Lowes Under Fire For Pulling Ads

Replies (66)

• I don't blame Lowes one bit they have the right to advertise with who ever they want. Also, Lowes like any other company can pull advertising any time they see fit, it is private enterprise which many of our elected officials fail to realize because majority of them have never ran a business they have always been career politicians.

  -- Posted by swampeastmissouri on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 10:48 AM

• "Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought in America we were free to spend, or not to spend, our money as we see fit."

  Sorry, you are wrong... this is the day following obamacare where it is fit and proper to legislate where and how we spend our money.

  God save America from the lunatics who are running/ruining it!!!

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 10:58 AM

• " Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, told The Associated Press he would also consider legislative action if Lowe's doesn't apologize to Muslims and reinstate its ads."

  Ted is the problem. More of Government trying to legislate private business practices.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 11:05 AM

• I also don't see how a legislator in the State of California can dicate to Lowes, a North Carolina corporation, how it spends its advertising dollars.

  Small wonder California is in such bad shape...

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 11:07 AM

• Kudos to Lowes for making their own business decisions.

  -- Posted by GREYWOLF on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 12:13 PM

• Theorist,

  Why don't you use your energy on researching the radical muslim group.

  Really think this will hurt Lowe's business.... I doubt it.

  As a final... only liberal groups have a right to protest, right??? Ever heard of the OWS folks?

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 12:34 PM

• Theorist wrote:

  "I think if anyone is at fault here, it is the radical Florida (book burning like) group. Again, JMO."

  What is their sin? They expressed their opinion, asking (or demanding) that Lowes pull their ads. They have no more power than you or I. Lowes was free to listen or not to listen to their demands.

  You may not like radical Florida groups such as this, but they are as entitled to voice their opinion as anyone else.

  I don't see that they are at fault. They may be misguided, but they merely exercised their right to free speech.

  The legislator, however, is attempting to use the power of the government to force Lowes to reverse a decision they made freely and within their rights.

  Methinks he is the one at fault.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 12:43 PM

• My first thought was that Lieu probably had a family member in the advertising business, although it appears not so. He has an impressive background even if he did clerk for the nineth circuit.

  Why is he concerned so much, are Muslims voters in his district complaining directly to him?

  -- Posted by Old John on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 12:54 PM

• This is the decision of Lowes and they have that right I'm so sick and tired of these groups that have came in to our country and tell us what we can do and what we cannot do. This is a free enterprise nation. Good job Lowes and good move.

  -- Posted by swampeastmissouri on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 1:03 PM

• This Florida group is playing on your fears, and you are falling right into there prejudiced hands. Good for you Shap, you are a follower after all!

  -- Posted by Theorist on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 1:16 PM

  I was wondering who would throw out the race card first.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 1:27 PM

• Why would you applaud them backing down?

  -- Posted by Theorist on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 1:18 PM

  Most likely they brought it to their attention. Most large advertisers don't make the decision what show random ads are on. That is usually done by an advertising company. I would say some company is doing some dancing trying to save a client.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 1:51 PM

• Theorist wrote:

  "Good for you Shap, you are a follower after all!"

  How so? All I've done is said that Lowes has the right to make that decision.

  How were they 'coerced'? All I've read is that the religious group wrote letters asking for them to pull the ads. Does using the power of the legislature to 'coerce' them back to their original decision make sense? Are you saying two wrongs make a right?

  So, I take it you're against coercion when it is employed by Christian religious (book-burning like) groups?

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 1:53 PM

• "They were COOERCED to pull their advertising."

  Coercion usually requires threats. The group says it sent three e-mails to its supporters, who sent letters and e-mails to Lowes. There is no report of threats. Mr. Lieu has used threats to try to change Lowes' decision. That is coercion, writing letters asking for a withdrawal is not.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 2:11 PM

• Spaniard: Just give them time they are slowly moving toward that.

  -- Posted by swampeastmissouri on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 2:25 PM

• "Your american taliban..."

  I must have missed the part where they were running terror training camps and blowing up statues of the Buddha...

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 2:35 PM

• This thread illustrates one of the problems of running a business. No matter what a business does or does not do, there is always someone to complain about the action or lack of action. And it takes very little for one of the complainers to file a law suit.

  Before long, the company's energies are spent more on damage control than on it's core business. No matter who wins the argument, the company's business will be affected.

  -- Posted by Robert* on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 2:37 PM

• Speaking of coercion, Theorist,

  What did you think of the teachers and public workers occupying the Wisconsin state capital this spring during their disagreement with Governor Scott Walker? Were they attempting to coerce him into changing legislation?

  -- Posted by Robert* on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 2:42 PM

• Your american taliban...

  http://floridafamily.org/

  -- Posted by Spaniard on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 2:29 PM

  The Real Taliban. I would rather have the American.

  http://www.jihadwatch.org/2011/11/afghanistan-mother-and-daughter-stoned-shot-to...

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:18 PM

• Theorist wrote:

  "BUT....don't bully everyone else into following."

  Bully? They wrote letters. They sent e-mails. That's bullying in your book? We called the 'petitioning' in my day. I thought you teachers were trained to recognize bullying.

  Methinks your definition is a bit broad...

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:29 PM

• Theorist, sorry I had some work to do and could not respond to your earlier question in a timely manner.

  Let me just say this please. I have NO use for the Islamic Ideology or the Muslim religion and its devisive format, period. Call me what you will but, I trust no one of this ideology or religion. I also have the same issues with most "religous" people on this planet. JMO

  -- Posted by GREYWOLF on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:32 PM

• Theorist,

  'senator asking for a boycott'

  in other words

  (intimidation to obtain compliance)

  common union tactic is it not?

  -- Posted by Robert* on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:38 PM

• 'Poutrage'? And this from the man who took umbrage with Ms. Palin's word 'Refudiate'?

  It seems to me we sing about a poutrage in a pear tree this time of year, but why is one stuck in the damper?

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:51 PM

• Well, there goes my planned vacation to California. As long as they elect morons like this, they won't be making money off me.

  -- Posted by InReply on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:55 PM

• "(imitation to obtain compliance)"

  Who were they imitating Theorist?

  The only similiatity to ESPN and Hank Williams Jr and Lowes would be the party responsible for writing the checks made the decision to not do so.... based on a business decision, possibly by folks they looked upon as being part of their customer base.

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 4:48 PM

• Spaniard you better open your eyes and see what is going on around you and come to reality, and no we are not the american taliban we are americans trying to preserve our freedom and hertiage.

  -- Posted by swampeastmissouri on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 5:57 PM

• In my 4:48 post I missed a word. It is not "possibly by folks" it should be 'possibly influenced by folks'. Sorry about that.

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 6:10 PM

• IMO they are really going to be surprised.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 8:43 PM

• What would happen if a person were not Christian nor Muslim nor did not believe in a holy Spirit or one higher Deity ?

  -- Posted by Rick * * on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 7:32 PM

  They go to a special place.... where B. Hussein Obama will be their president for eternity.

  -- Posted by Have_Wheels_Will_Travel on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 8:48 PM

• Me'Lange wrote:

  "Take a peek at the family tree ie Abraham decendents, most religions start to branch off there."

  Of the five major religions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have a common ancestor with Abraham. Buddhism and Hinduism speak not of Abraham.

  Shinto, Animism, the religions of the the Native Americans and the Aborigines do not either, to the best of my knowledge.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:21 AM

• It's funny actually: one group of fundamentalist wackos crying about another group of fundamentalist wackos getting a TV show.

  -- Posted by Spaniard on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:10 AM

  Agreed

  .

  .

  Why can't they just run the ads they want to run, and if you don't like it, don't shop there.

  -- Posted by Theorist on Mon, Dec 12, 2011, at 3:17 PM

  Thats a great business model for companies to follow. Lets spend money advertising where WE want even though that decision may hurt our business:)

  -- Posted by Joe Dirte on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:32 AM

• "Why can't they just run the ads they want to run, and if you don't like it, don't shop there."

  Which was my original argument. I don't mind the boycotters urging a boycott. I don't even mind that Lowes made a decision based on apparent mob action (I assume they researched the issue and made a decision accordingly, but that's not my call).

  I do mind that this is called 'discrimination', and that the legislature, whether state or federal, has seen fit to involve itself in the issue that is best left to be resolved by the parties involved.

  As I see it, Lowes has the right to spend its advertising dollars, or not spend them, as they see fit.

  The religious group has the right to petition Lowes, or not, to remove advertising from programmes on which they think Lowes should not advertise, for whatever reason.

  Having thus been petitioned, Lowes has a corporate (not a legal) responsibility to act on the petition, whether by following the suggestiongs, rejecting the suggestions, or choosing any other course they see fit.

  The producers of the programme have the right to petition Lowes to continue their advertising, and to explain to Lowes why it is in their interest.

  Sen. Lieu, on the other hand, has no business being involved in the fracas at all. He is free, as a private citizen, to petition Lowes all he wants. However, to attempt to use the power of the legislature to coerce Lowes to advertise where they've opted not to advertise is clearly wrong.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:55 AM

• Spaniard wrote:

  "I am going to "believe" in them all, just to cover my tail."

  I believe in them all. I believe they all recognize a common Truth, but they disagree on the details.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:57 AM

• Sorry Me'lange, I believe that "religion" does nothing but DIVIDE people! It matters little to me what name you associate with it! Needless to say, I am not a "religous person".

  -- Posted by GREYWOLF on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 9:34 AM

• Greywolf wrote:

  "I believe that "religion" does nothing but DIVIDE people!"

  It divides some people, but unites others. There are many divisive issues in the World, and religion is but one of them.

  Methinks the only way to avoid divisiveness would be to have no position an hold no beliefs on anything. Some would probably take umbrage even at that!

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 9:58 AM

• I alway figured Rosie O'Donnel and the Joe Boxer ads were detrimental to KMart, but I figure the spotted owl nested in the KMart sign made up any lost business by attracting more liberals. :)

  -- Posted by Old John on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:03 AM

• K-Mart survived bankruptcy and Martha Stewart. They can survive anything!

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:10 AM

• Yes Shapley, religion does unite people. However, more often then not, it unites people to be divisive towards others.

  -- Posted by GREYWOLF on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:23 AM

• SEE THEORIST'S FIRST POST... that says it all.

  -- Posted by Hot Dog on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:26 AM

• Also, Lowe's sucks anyway... bring on Menards. Menards will put them out of business in a heart beat!!!

  -- Posted by Hot Dog on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:28 AM

• Nonsense. No one is taking away for your precious "heritage". No "foreigners" are taking away your freedom. Fox news and Glen Beck sell you that nonsense and play on your fears.

  -- Posted by Spaniard on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:10 AM

  So when you guys were winning about 9-11 and the PATRIOT Act you were talking about the loss of freedoms. When talking out of both sides of your mouth try not to dribble.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 11:04 AM

• Also, Lowe's sucks anyway... bring on Menards. Menards will put them out of business in a heart beat!!!

  -- Posted by BTW on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 10:28 AM

  And K-Mart is going to put Wal-Mart under.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 11:06 AM

• None have filled the void of a good Western Auto store.

  -- Posted by Old John on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 11:45 AM

• Rick** wrote:

  "In my warped opinion , more people have died from different religious beliefs in the history of humans then every other reason combined."

  While I suppose that's possible, I am inclined to believe not. Many people have tried to claim that most of the major wars have been fought in the name of religion, but they've had to resort to very loose connections in order to come close to making that idea stick.

  Methinks the vast majority of wars are fought simply over territory and the wealth those territories possess. That was the goal behind the Greek and Roman expansions, the Persian wars with Greece, and most of the Chinese wars (which probably saw more deaths than all of the European wars combined).

  60 to 80 million people lost their lives in World War II. That is about 2 1/2% of the world's population at the time. About 23,000,000 of these were Russian, 20,000,000 were Chinese, and 3,000,000 Japanese. These nations warred over territorial claims, with fighting that preceded that timeframe we commonly consider to be 'World War II', and continued beyond it. To be sure, most of the Twentieth Century saw Manchuria, China, Japan, Korea, and Indochina engaged in an ongoing struggle over territory, as struggle we regard as separate wars (the First & Second Sino-Japanese Wars, World War II, the Korean War, The French Indo-China War, the Vietnam War, etc.).

  While many ancient (and perhaps some modern) rulers regard themselves as gods, that does not make their wars wars of religion. And, while missionaries may have traveled to the far reaches of the Earth to spread the word of the God or gods they worship, that does not mean that the millions who died from the diseases they brought with them died for religious reasons (even if the missionaries proclaimed their deaths to be the wrath of some deity).

  Methinks the greatest number of humans died of the usual suspects - disease, hunger, and the frailties of the body. Even of those who died an unnatural death, methinks wars fought for territorial expansion claimed the lives of most.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 12:21 PM

• Me'lange, frankly speaking the bible has been stomped on by several individuals over the centuries and contains very little of its original text. I am not prepared to debate issues that concern this book considering most has been changed to satisfy the desires of others. One does not have to be a religious person to have faith or hope! I can speak directly to God without the help from a pastor or an organized church/religion. JMO

  -- Posted by GREYWOLF on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 12:49 PM

• Spaniard, Many are plotting openly, they even hold signs that read death to America and such.

  -- Posted by Old John on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 12:50 PM

• I knew a bosun named Higgs back when I was in the Navy. He had a nickname, unprintable if I recall, but it wasn't anything like "God's Participle". I think he was from the lower end of Brooklyn, not from Spectrum, Mass, but I could be mistaken.

  We have smashed pumpkins together, but I don't think we tried any protons. Seems to me the Filipinos used to cook with those. I don't remember them being all that big, but I guess they're must be some pretty good sized ones, if they have to use a Large Hard Iron Collander to cook 'em. They were kind of like a gourd, as best I remember.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 2:02 PM

• Anyway, I'm glad to see those scientist haven't given up seeking God. So many of them seem to be Atheists these days.

  Do you think they'll recognize him when they find him?

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 2:03 PM

• And I can't believe I didn't change 'they're' to 'there' when I changed that sentence...

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 2:05 PM

• Me'Lange,

  As someone noted before, I'm not sure Lowe's knows exactly which shows will be on when they make their ad buys. They probably make a block purchase of 'x' number of hours of prime-time ad space, which may even be a recurring purchase made with no regard to the programme line up.

  In such cases, they may not be aware they are buying ads during a 'controversial' programme until they hear about it from concerned viewers.

  I know from buying political ad time, and assisting candidates with their ad buys, that they frequently buy based on 'time slots' rather than specific programmes.

  While it has been several years since I've done that sort of thing, I seem to recall that a typical block buy would guarantee, say, 30 minutes of 'prime time' ad buys with a guarantee of at least 5 ads running during certain top-rated programmes.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 3:59 PM

• I also seem to recall that some networks would require that you buy a certain number of ads to be run during unspecified time slots in order to get ad space during top-rated programmes. Thus, Lowes may have had to buy a dozen unspecified slots in order to get one or two to run during 'Toddlers and Tiaras'. (I picked that show because it popped up on their website, and because it has been mentioned in the Southeast Missourian - I have no idea if it is actually a top-rated programme).

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 4:22 PM

• New data said to narrow hunt for 'God' particle .

  GENEVA (AP) -- Scientists hunting for an elusive subatomic particle say they've found "intriguing hints" -- but not definitive proof -- that it exists, narrowing down the search for what is believed to be a basic component of the universe. The researchers added that they hope to reach a conclusion on whether the particle exists by next year.

  The latest data show that the mass of the Higgs boson -- popularly referred to as the "God particle" -- probably falls in the lower end of the spectrum of mass that can be produced by smashing protons together in the huge Large Hadron Collider, researchers from two independent teams said Tuesday.

  http://www.charter.net/news/read.php?rip...

  -- Posted by Rick * * on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 1:50 PM

  When they find the particle, do you think it will be Christian or Muslim?

  -- Posted by DADES on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 4:28 PM

• Me'Lange,

  "Even radio stations provide demographic and programming data."

  I'm sure they do, and I'm sure a company the size of Lowes has personnel enough to study that for each and every one of the many, many networks on which they advertise, whereas a typical district-level political campaign does not.

  But, then again, they may not. Nor do I know enough about TLC to know how long this particular 'reality show' has been in the offing, how long it has aired, and how far in advance Lowes bought advertising from the network.

  I know that Lowes runs ads on some networks all day long. I do not know if they screen each programme to say 'yea' or 'nay' to running their ads thereon.

  I watched CBS last night, and one commercial ran three times in five minutes. I have a hard time believing they made the buy with that intention.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 4:31 PM

• One of the few programmes I watch regularly was pre-empted the other day. We switched the television to ABC for the first time in many months. I was not familiar with the programming on that network.

  After watching off and on for about an hour, I wondered why any image-conscious corporation would buy advertising during those programmes, yet they had advertisers - big ones, too.

  No, I don't think the buyers are necessarily as aware of the content of the programmes as you all think they are.

  I'm sure they hire people to screen such things but, as I noted, they may not pay much attention unless they get a complaint.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 4:35 PM

• " ... if they do, well, they deserve what they get."

  No one deserves the wrath of idiot legislators trying to use the power of the government to force companies to buy advertising where they've decided they do not want to spend it.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 4:50 PM

• Me'Lange,

  I am well aware of that, and yet I am also aware that things are overlooked.

  "Millions of dollars are spent..." Of course they are, but given the sheer volume of purchases made by Lowes, the possibility exists that it is not as minute as you may think.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 5:10 PM

• You also seem unaware that, given the current economic state, not so many millions are spent today as three, four or ten years ago for such things. The people who used to look after them may well be among the thousands of layoffs we have heard about over the years.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 5:13 PM

• Companies the size of Lowes sometimes use top advertising agencies and have confidence in them to choose when and where their ads are run. Those agencies have their contacts in the major networks who often advise them when the best time to run the ads will be....it is not always the wisest choice. Sometimes networks will use that leeway to fill slots in undersold programs without regard to propriety.

  -- Posted by InReply on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 7:02 PM

• And Melange, isn't it also the advertising agencies that have all that know-how and are the ones who actually produce the ads which they then present to their clients such as Lowes.

  -- Posted by InReply on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 7:05 PM

• . From what I have read, box store trends are in-house marketing/advertising departments,

  -- Posted by Me'Lange on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 7:29 PM

  Do you know which type of television advertising Lowes uses?

  -- Posted by InReply on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:11 PM

• "Have a great night."

  ...and a good evening to you, as well.

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:12 PM

• Hear ya go Mel....

  http://www.loweslink.com/llmain/pubdocuments/CM_Guidelines.pdf

  Advertising is something that interests me.

  It seems they have 3rd party negotiators to do their scheduling and time. That is understandable since it is so complicated and takes specialist to do the deals. You are talking about buying several million at a pop. A small business can rack up several thousand a quarter on local TV but they get a lot of bang for the buck.

  It looks like all paper adv. is done in house.

  -- Posted by We Regret To Inform U on Tue, Dec 13, 2011, at 8:34 PM

• Looks like Kayak.com has pulled their advertising from this program also.

  -- Posted by Mowrangler on Wed, Dec 14, 2011, at 6:33 PM

• Thanks Regret. It hasn't changed. It's a shame when a company takes the time and makes the effort to handle that much detail and then is careless when it comes to allowing someone else to schedule ad placement.

  -- Posted by InReply on Wed, Dec 14, 2011, at 6:49 PM

• Kayak.com spokesman: We pulled ads from 'All-American Muslim' because the show sucked.

  http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/15/idUS421071055920111215

  "The first thing I discovered was that TLC was not upfront with us about the nature of this show," Birge wrote. "As I said, it's a worthy topic, but any reasonable person would know that this topic is a particular lightning rod. We believe TLC went out of their way to pick a fight on this, and they didn't let us know their intentions. That's not a business practice that generally gets repeat business from us. I also believe that it did this subject a grave disservice. Sadly, TLC is now enjoying the attention from this controversy"."

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Fri, Dec 16, 2011, at 2:07 PM

• s☼ce wrote:

  "I have noticed on the sword of your avatar .

  Your left hand is on top of your right and your sword leans to the left .

  Is there a significance or is this just one of those things ?"

  The image was created by someone other than myself, photoshopping the head of Condoleeza Rice onto the body of 'Conan' Schwarzenegger.

  I've no idea why Arnold holds the sword in that manner. :)

  -- Posted by Shapley Hunter on Sat, Dec 17, 2011, at 10:01 AM

• Shapley,

  That is too funny. After all this time, I didn't realize that was Condoleeza Rice's face. I guess I need to start paying more attention. ☺

  -- Posted by SpankyTheTanky on Sat, Dec 17, 2011, at 11:09 AM