NEW YORK -- MTV advertiser Candie's is so livid that the musicvideo channel initially rejected its latest commercials featuring Jenny McCarthy that the sneaker company has cut its ad budget and may stop spending with MTV altogether.
"We're not happy and we're re-evaluating how MTV fits into our marketing plans," said David Conn, director of marketing for Candie's Inc.
Candie's latest in a series of McCarthy ads was scheduled to start running on MTV on Feb. 25, but the Viacom-owned network informed Conn on Friday that it had rejected the two ads, he said. On Monday, Conn got a call from an MTV sales rep saying she was working to get the spots approved. The next day, the rep called to say that MTV would now run them.
Conn, however, told the rep that Candie's was cutting back its MTV budget. Conn said that after MTV initially rejected the commercials, he had to scramble to buy time on other cable networks, such as USA, to make up for the number of impressions Candie's would have gotten on MTV.
MTV has a different take on Candie's situation: There is no situation. According to MTV spokesperson Caroline Lockridge, MTV had approved the Candie's ads and they were scheduled to begin running at the end of February.
The commercials in question continue with Candie's "Just Screw It" tagline. One features McCarthy as a would-be NBA star going for a slam dunk. Instead of slamming the ball through the hoop, her face slams against the backboard. The second spot shows Jenny as a PGA pro missing the tee shot in the final round of her first major tournament. Viewers then see she's actually playing on a miniature golf course.
These ads are not as racy as an earlier spot in the campaign in which a plumber fixes McCarthy's sink. That one contained a bit of nudity. But MTV wasn't alone in having second thoughts about airing the new spots; the ads were rejected by broadcast stations in New York, Las Vegas and Atlanta.
Conn argued that Candie's spots were not racier than any of MTV's regular programming.
"You don't have to look too hard on MTV to find something that pushes the envelope," he said. "For them to restrict us seems very hypocritical."
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