NordicTrack, Inc., which advertised on the ABC show, “Nothing Sacred,” on November 13, has pledged never to do so again. Like many of the other companies that have advertised on the show, NordicTrack purchased a block of time on ABC and did not know that one of its ads would be shown on “Nothing Sacred.” Citing the “controversial nature of the program and the impact on some viewers,” a spokesman for the company said that “this was a one time occurrence and we have taken steps to ensure this does not occur again.”
NordicTrack becomes the 27th company to drop “Nothing Sacred.” The others are: Isuzu, Weight Watchers, K-Mart, Benckiser, DuPont, Red Lobster, Ocean Spray, Sears, Glaxo Wellcome, Ponderosa, Dunkin’ Donuts, Scott’s Liquid Gold, Chrysler-Plymouth, Honda, Arm & Hammer, Home Depot, Borden, Alberto Culver, Montgomery Ward, Ovaltine, Dairy Queen, Mutual of Omaha, Telecom*USA, Cigna, McCormick and Pier 1.
William Donohue commented on #27 today:
“The Catholic League is delighted that NordicTrack has joined so many distinguished companies by rejecting ‘Nothing Sacred.’ We hope that their holiday sales go well.
“Just last week I noted how difficult it was to conduct a consumer boycott of products sold via (800) numbers. I was wrong: NordicTrack, which used an (800) number to sell its equipment, proved that it can be done.
“Our members and supporters all over the country are demonstrating that Catholics have had it with Hollywood and that is why they have taken this boycott so seriously. This is a great day for lay Catholics. Especially pleased should be those Catholics who have long been clamoring for more lay participation. But somehow we think many of them aren’t so happy, because all along their idea of lay participation never included guys like us.”
