Self Improvement Lowe's Style
It's been said that one should never discuss sex, religion and/or politics. Be forewarned this post deals with at least one of those points.
Recently TLC network launched a show called All-American Muslim to showcase average American Muslims who live in the community of Dearborn, Michigan. Similar to a US version of Little Mosque on the Prairie in Canada but more of 'reality' version. One 'group' called the Florida Family Association (FFA) protested that Lowe's Home Improvement was advertising during this show and demanded that Lowe's remove all advertising. Surprisingly, Lowe's obliged the FFA and pulled all advertising while All-American Muslim was broadcasting on TLC.
Subsequently, all hell broke loose and Lowe's is in a very difficult situation. On one side you have people applauding and supporting Lowe's decision to pull the advertising. On the other side people who have been loyal customers are very disappointed in Lowe's decision. Time is one of many media outlets critical of Lowe's actions.
So Lowe's tried to calm things by directing people to this statement posted on their Facebook page earlier this week. "Lowe’s has received a significant amount of communication on this program, from every perspective possible. Individuals and groups have strong political and societal views on this topic, and this program became a lighting rod for many of those views. As a result we did pull our advertising on this program. We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance. We strongly support and respect the right of our customers, the community at large, and our employees to have different views. If we have made anyone question that commitment, we apologize. Thank you for allowing us to further explain our position."
That should have been the end of the issue, right? Not quite. The aforementioned post on Lowe's Facebook wall generated over +3600 Likes and +18,000 comments of which many of which, were very nasty. I don't have a problem with people taking opposing viewpoints on an issue as that is a hallmark of democracy and freedom of speech. I do have a problem with the disappearance of civilized discourse and debate. It appears the toothpaste is out of the tube and cleanup is needed in a few aisles. Lowe's is going into the critical holiday period as a retailer and many customers are now calling for a boycott of their business, returning purchases and/or cancelling their accounts. Many customers who are Muslim are in that key target market that home improvement retailer like Lowe's covets. The outrage isn't only limited to Muslim customers as Christia ns, Jews and even Atheists are condemning Lowe's for their actions.
You really have to feel for Lowe's being in such an untenable position. Furthermore, what kind of online public relations nightmare would it be without user-generated content? A parody Lowe's Global PR Twitter account was created and a Republican Congressman from California started following it believing it was a real Lowe's Twitter account, tweeting them he supported Lowe's actions. The actor Kal Penn of Harold & Kumar fame tweeted this 'video' (caution on language) of his parents having a meeting with Lowe's executives to his +100k followers on Twitter. He then asked his followers to sign an online petition demanding that other brands advertising on TLC do not follow the example of Lowe's. So far the online petition has over 21k signatures but other brands like Green Mountain Coffee have taken notice and made it clear that they disavowed the actions of FFA. Russell Simmons has stepped up and bought all of the advertising slots on TLC during the show that were vacated. It doesn't stop there either.
Lowe's has now been threatened by the hacker group Anonymous which has has already gone after the FFA website and said Lowe's is next. Some media pundits have suggested that Lowe's shouldn't have advertised with such a potentially 'controversial' television show in the first place. Lowe's should have shown better judgement while conducting their media buy. But 'controversial' by whose standards?
So could the hit television-show 'Modern Family' be at risk and have its advertising pulled because it features a gay couple? It's a slippery slope for marketers fraught with danger. Having said all that, my view is that any company (including Lowe's) has the right to advertise where and how they see fit. Just as I have the right to shop where I see fit and to share my thoughts with other consumers. I'll also state that I've been a long-time Lowe's customer as they have offered terrific service over the years. One friend of mine wonders if Lowe's reaction to pull the advertising was honest or out of fear of losing customers who supported the FFA. Perhaps they gambled thinking that caving into the demands of one group wouldn't have mattered. Ultimately no one is a winner in this situation except for TLC who might get better ratings/awareness.
But the bigger issue for marketers and brands is this - if this can happen to Lowe's could it happen to you? Are you or your agency prepared for this kind of situation? Do you have contingency/engagement/crisis plans in place? If so, are they good enough? If you make decisions, is digital and social media considered as it relates to them? Can you be held hostage to the agenda of a specific interest group? If you were Lowe's what would you have done differently to avoid being caught in the midst of a public relations firestorm? If you make a decision are you prepared to stand by it and not backtrack even when it impacts your reputation/bottom line?
There are no 'all-in-one' answers like some tool found in aisle 12 but the aforementioned are just a few of the questions we must ask ourselves as individuals and leaders of brands and organizations. I can already see Lowe's as a case study that students in business schools will analyze for years to come. Lowe's tagline is 'Never stop improving' perhaps we should all pause and take heed of those words.
Sulemaan Ahmed
Twitter @sulemaan
7 Comments
Arthur Yann said
I agree with the other comments here that this is a wonderfully written piece with a beautifully presented point of view.
I also agree with Sulemann's take that "any company (including Lowe's) has the right to advertise where and how they see fit." However ...
It strikes me as an unbelievable example of corporate cowardice and a complete and utter lack of corporate values, for Lowe's to abdicate its corporate responsibility in this matter and essentially place the blame for this monumental mistake on its customers, e.g., "We believe it is best to respectfully defer to communities, individuals and groups to discuss and consider such issues of importance."
No, it's not, at least not in this case. Leaders lead, and it would have been best if Lowe's set an example for others to follow. And, that example would have been to perpetuate a message of religious tolerance. Instead, through its words and actions, which include allowing hate-filled messages to clog its Facebook page, Lowe’s sent a strong and, frankly, baffling message of intolerance.
The damage to Lowe’s reputation will not be washed away with public pronouncements or statements about values on its website. As Arthur Page noted, public relations is 90 percent what you do and 10 percent what you say. If I were Lowe’s, I’d be calling Russell Simmons about buying an ad.
Until then, that Lowe’s gift card my sister wants for the holidays? Home Depot, here I come.
Arthur Yann is vp/pr for PRSA.
Berta Mascarenhas said
Excellent perceptive Sulemaan!
Perhaps Lowe's should have reflected on why they had placed their advertising dollars with the show before submitting to the pressures of the FFA. You wouldn't have made that kind of decision lightly in the first place - would you?
Nelson said
It is a culture as any in the world, worthy of respect for all people within it. In the U.S. there are thousands of cultures and religions and we are all worthy of equal respect.
Sulemaan Ahmed said
@Michael @Husain @June @Arthur @Berta - Thanks for the kind words and for contributing to the conversation. It's greatly appreciated.
June Macdonald said
Without knowing what information Loew's received from the FFA, they should have done more diligence and realized you can't not take a position by pulling advertising or keeping it on air.
Based on what I read about the show, it's pretty mild fare, not very exciting really. The FFA's position is that the show doesn't show Muslims as potential extremists or a threat to American lives, just as normal people. (They didn't clue in that the show is called "American Muslims" and not "Foreign Extremists".)
The Daily Show did a great job lampooning both parties. As Jon Stewart pointed out, they advertised on The Learning Channel, where you are bound to come up against controversial subjects if every show is meant to bring a topic to light.
B. Husain Bhayat said
Excellent piece, Sulemaan.
Lowe's decision is regrettable. There is a great fury over their decision from different quarters and many have decided to boycott their products.
A corporation of their size could have understood better than to cave in to the racist rantings from FFA.
Michael O'Connor Clarke said
This is a marvellously balanced and level-headed piece, thank you Sulemaan.
The biggest failure here, to me, is with whoever it was at Lowe's who seemed to suffer a temporary spinal-bypass in the face of the original FFA complaint.
I know they're operating in a messed up, complex and very difficult space in the US. The casual conflation of "muslim" and "terrorist" in the minds of far too many Americans is a much bigger issue than even this teacup tempest highlights.
But I would have cheered so loudly if Lowe's had stood firm against small-minded bigotry. FWIW, I think the post on their Facebook page was pretty well written and they did their best in an incredibly difficult situation. Yet, still, if you truly have "...a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion..." you need to stand by your words and not be swayed by the voice of the few.