Hoover pulls ads over soaps cancellation

Hoover has reportedly pulled its adverts from ABC in reaction to the broadcasters cancellation of All My Children and One Life to Live.

When advertisers decide to pull their products from a broadcaster its usually the result of intense lobbying by unhappy conservatives over some controversy. It’s fairly rare that an advertiser should make such a move over a cancellation of a show but that’s seemingly what has happened. Hoover has pulled its adverts from ABC because the network has cancelled two of its soaps; All My Children and One Life to Live. The move by Hoover is a big boost for fans of both soaps who are campaigning for there survival and also to the casts and crews of both serials.

Hoovers’ Vice President of Marketing, Brian Kirkendall, has written an open letter to fans of both soaps on the company’s Facebook page. The open letter discusses ABC’s axings of AMC and OLTL and urged fans to email them showing support for both soaps and promised to pass on every email sent to ABC.

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. – Open letter on Hoovers’ Facebook page

If other advertisers were to follow suit it would put increasing pressure on ABC to re-think its decision…so watch this space.