For those of you who haven't been keeping up, Michael Phelps who won 14 Olympic Gold Medals in Swimming has also been caught smoking a bong. Graphic evidence has been provided.
Naturally his sponsors are not happy. But the sponsor's customers are unhappy that the sponsors are unhappy. As part of its damage control efforts for dropping Mr. Phelps from its list of endorsers Kellogg (the cereal people) has set up a hotline to cope with all the calls.
1-800-962-1413 Option #1
The fact that it is the first option says that they are getting a lot of heat. Think of it this way. If this was 1929 pot is legal and beer is not. Had he been caught smoking pot in 1929 he would have been considered eccentric, but not a criminal. We are fortunate to have a government that can make as many criminals as it needs.
Simon, I completely know where you are coming from... but isn't the company free to disassociate itself from a public figure it feels will reflect poorly on it or might negatively affect its business?
John S. · February 9, 2009 12:10 PM
John asks,
isn't the company free to disassociate itself from a public figure it feels will reflect poorly on it or might negatively affect its business?
Sure. Absolutely. And suffer the wrath of irate customers for it to boot.
The first rule of business: don't piss off the customers unless that is what the customer is paying for.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
Don?t bang your head!
Simon, I completely know where you are coming from... but isn't the company free to disassociate itself from a public figure it feels will reflect poorly on it or might negatively affect its business?