We Get a Bigoted Ad Pulled!

From the shameless self-promotion files of the Slob . . . . .

Some of you may have seen the publicity about an Ohio auto dealer running an advertising campaign making fun of Islam and declaring "jihad" on the auto business. Here are some snippets of the press coverage:

A car dealership's planned radio advertisement that declared "a jihad on the automotive market" has drawn sharp criticism for its content but will not be changed, the business said Saturday.

Several stations rejected the Dennis Mitsubishi spot, which says sales representatives wearing "burqas" - head-to-toe traditional dress for Islamic women - will sell vehicles that can "comfortably seat 12 jihadists in the back."

"Our prices are lower than the evildoers' every day. Just ask the pope!" the ad says. "Friday is fatwa Friday, with free rubber swords for the kiddies." A fatwa is a religious edict.

Dealership president Keith Dennis said the ad does not disrespect any religion or culture. He said it was "fair game" to poke "a little fun at radical extremists."

"It was our intention to craft something around some of the buzzwords of the day and give everyone a good chuckle and be a little bit of a tension reliever," he said.

The AP report will now need to be revised.

In response from an email from Your Slob, Mitsubishi Motors contacted the dealer and told him to pull the advertising:

To: A Big Fat Slob

Date: Sep 26, 2006 10:44 AM

Subject: Re: Mitsubishi's Jihad Advertisement

We greatly appreciate your email expressing concern regarding the proposed advertising campaign from one of our dealers.

Mitsubishi Motors North America has been in contact with the dealer in Columbus, Ohio, about the proposed advertising campaign that reportedly referenced jihad and terrorism. We've made it clear to this dealer that this campaign runs contrary to our company values and we strongly urged him not to run the campaign.

The dealer has agreed not to run it. We are pleased that this campaign will not run and apologize to all those who were offended.

Thank you once again for taking the time to contact us.

Sincerely,
Dan Irvin
Director Corporate Communications & Public Relations
MMNA

Here's the email that I sent to Mitsubishi:

Dear Mitsubishi,

Below is a newspaper account of an advertising campaign, of a Mitsubishi dealer, which exploits the deaths of thousands of people this year at the hands of terrorists who claim to be devotees of Islam. They also go further and treat the religious garb of faithful, and peaceful, practitioners of Islam as something to be mocked -- as if it it were a Halloween costume.

Given the precarious situation which Muslims face today as the result of subtle bigotry and irrational fear, this kind of overt appeal to that bigotry and fear is, there is no better word for it, disgusting. It is unworthy of being linked to the honorable name of Mitsubishi.

While I understand that your dealers are independent entities, I am sure that this is something in which you will take an interest. Independent or not, their advertising will still reflect on your company and I would be surprised if your Dealer Agreement did not give you some rights when proposed advertising might reflect poorly on your trademarks or products.

I appeal to you to take appropriate actions to convince this misguided dealer to select a different promotion for your products.

A Big Fat Slob

A great day for the good guys.

(Ed. -- WaPo reported this afternoon that the car dealership confirmed the ad was pulled.)