Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, September 18, 1993 TAG: 9309180088
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK LENGTH: Short
"I think it potentially has a rather chilling effect," said Everett Dennis, executive director of the Freedom Forum, a media research group at Columbia University.
A Mercedes official said that isn't the intent.
A.B. Shuman, a spokesman for the German company, said Mercedes just wanted to formalize a practice with magazines of not placing ads near material that could embarrass an advertiser.
"The idea was to set it down and state not only things that reflect on Mercedes directly but, because Mercedes is in a way the quintessential German product, things that would create a negative impression toward a German product," Shuman said.
The company asked that layout and make-up crews be given authority to pull a Mercedes ad at the last minute if they feel it appears near "inappropriate editorial" material.
If an ad isn't postponed, the company's letter said it may not pay for the space or may later seek free space of comparable size. The letter didn't define what topics are inappropriate. Magazines generally are careful about advertisement placement. For instance, an airline's ad would not be near an article on airline safety.
by CNB