Hot on the heels of the Stones being censored by ABC during the Halftime show is this SHOCKER...
Did you perhaps wonder why so few spots had a URL at the end of the ad? I heard through a source (and this is unsubstantiated and unconfirmed, so it could be crap, but it could also be the truth) that ABC visited all the URL's of the submitted spots beforehand and if ABC determined the sites to have "racey" content, they essentially did not allow the spots to air unless the URL's were taken off (read: banned)
I'm going to see if good old Bob Parsons has a POV on this...but I will say that if there is ANY truth to this, can you say, "makegood?" This blatant disregard for their client's ROI/bottom line (i.e. need to demonstrate value/efficacy), coupled with the network's arrogance and grandiose self-importance has got to stop. And while we're at it, how could the brands/their agencies allow this and submit to the pressure?
If someone from the network would like to clear things up and issue an official statement on the matter, please send it to me and I will gladly publish it and update this post. By the same token, if a brand marketer or their agency is prepared to validate this assertion (even off the record), please feel free to do so...
