Lesson: What you say as a leader will have a lot more impact if it represents what you do. Which brings us to the news this morning that two advertisers have pulled their sponsorship of Don Imus' radio show.
While I applaud Staples and Bigelow Tea Company for doing so, I was amused and dismayed by the statement issued by Bigelow, which earns the tea company the BS of the Day Award.
"While Bigelow Tea has been an advertiser on the 'Imus in the Morning show,' the company does not condone or support in any way the unacceptable comments made by Imus with regard to the Rutgers University women's basketball team," Cindi Bigelow, the company's co-president, said in a statement. "Bigelow Tea is a family company that prides itself on honoring and respecting all individuals." [emphasis added]
Really? Let me get this right, Ms Bigelow. You pride yourself on "honoring and respecting all individuals," yet you've been advertising on a show whose host's shtick is cynicism, insult, mockery, and ridicule. Didn't you ever notice the disconnect between what you were supporting and what you claim are your company values?
You would have done better to limit your statement to the first sentence. It's specific and believable. The "prideful" tag line is belied by Bigelow's actions and comes across for what it is, BS.
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