I’ll tell you what: I’m going to buy a Hoover vacuum cleaner today. The company is pulling its ads from ABC in protest over the cancellations of “One Life to Live” and “All My Children.” It’s a bold statement for an advertiser to take such a position. But good for Brian Kirkendall, VP of marketing for Hoover. He’s like Don Draper taking out his ad on “Mad Men” against smoking. Kirkendall obviously sees what’s coming at ABC: No Regis or Oprah, no two hour block of soaps to which viewers were loyal. Other advertisers should hop on board. ABC has left you all with a mess. (Just the way CBS has done by replacing “As the World Turns” with dreck.) The curious thing is that ABC always put a lot of money and time into soap promotion; CBS did not. For ABC to turn against its audience may become a historic mistake. Here’s the Facebook posting from Hoover:
To all the loyal ABC soap fans,
I want you to know from me personally that we hear you loud and clear. My wife and mother are both passionate viewers of All My Children and One Life to Live, as are many of my colleagues here at Hoover. We were and are as disappointed with this news as you are.
In fact, we will discontinue our advertising with ABC this Friday, 4/22. We’re making every attempt to pull our spots from these programs sooner.
Because we feel that’s not enough, we also want to help get your voice heard with ABC. So, we’ve set up a special email address, SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com, to help pull together the mass emotional outpouring of support for our beloved ABC soaps and get it to our contacts at ABC. Please, send your emails to us at SaveTheSoaps@Hoover.com, and we’ll get every, single last one of them to ABC.
We’re 150% committed to doing what matters most to you – so if there’s anything else we can do to help or you have any ideas, please email this address, and we will respond to you personally.
Thank you for standing up for what matters to you! We need more of that in this world.
Brian Kirkendall
Vice President of Marketing
Hoover
