DirecTV forced to remove Rob Lowe ads after a complaint from Comcast.
DirecTV’s ad campaign featuring Rob Lowe’s alter egos (he’s cooler and more confident with DirecTV, but he’s a creep and lame with cable) should be discontinued, according to reports.
The Better Business Bureau’s National Advertising Division, made a ruling on a complaint by Comcast. The BBB said DirecTV should discontinue certain claims made in a series of TV commercials featuring Rob Lowe.
From Variety:
Comcast challenged multiple DirecTV claims in the spots, including that “With DirecTV you get 99% signal reliability” and that customers would get the industry’s “best picture quality and sound.”
DirecTV said it would appeal NAD’s findings. The company contended that “the various Rob Lowe advertisements are so outlandish and exaggerated that no reasonable consumer would believe that the statements being made by the alter-ego characters are comparative or need to be substantiated.”
But the whole dispute appears to be academic, at this point. According to a DirecTV rep, the company earlier this month discontinued the Rob Lowe campaign as previously planned. The satcaster’s current spots feature Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Hannah Davis and a talking horse; she formerly appeared in DirecTV’s ad campaign for the Genie DVR.
This is not the first time DirecTV got into trouble for the Rob Lowe commercials. Last fall DirecTV was criticized for making fun of lame-Rob Lowe’s inability to pee in front of others. The International Paruresis Assn. called it insensitive to those who have a “shy bladder”.
Say goodbye to DirecTV ads like this:
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