CBS Apologizes To Dockers With Free TV Ads
CBS reportedly is giving the clothing maker Dockers free advertising time during the NCAA men's basketball championships. According to Advertising Age, it's to make up for a snafu that occurred during the Super Bowl. The Dockers ad featured men marching around in their underwear. The ad that aired right before that also featured men in their underwear.
LINDA WERTHEIMER, host:
Our last word is overexposure.
CBS is giving the clothing maker Dockers free advertising time during the upcoming NCAA men's basketball championships. It's to make up for a mistake that occurred during the Super Bowl. During the big game, Dockers came up with this cheeky ad.
(Soundbite of Dockers advertisement)
Unidentified Group: (Singing) I wear no pants. I wear no pants. I wear, I wear no pants.
WERTHEIMER: It features men marching around in their underwear. The problem is the ad aired right after an ad from the job Web site CareerBuilder.com, which also featured men in their skivvies.
(Soundbite of CareerBuilder.com advertisement)
Unidentified Man: Weve decided to make casual Fridays all week.
WERTHEIMER: Perhaps the Dockers ad didnt seem quite so fresh coming in second. According to Advertising Age magazine, which reported the story, networks generally avoid airing ads for similar products or brands since consumers might confuse the brands. As for similar ad themes, there's no set protocol. But Dockers complained and got the free ads.
And that's the business news on MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Linda Wertheimer.
RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
And I'm Renee Montagne Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
