Breitbart retaliates with boycott call against Kellogg for pulling out ads
02 Dec 2016
Breitbart struck back at the company after Kellogg said in a statement that it would not put ads on sites that ''aren't aligned with our values.'' Breitbart chief executive officer Larry Solov described the move as ''un-American.''
''The only sensible response is to join together and boycott Kellogg's products in protest,'' he said in a Breitbart story.
Before Kellog pulled out ads on the site, the cereal brand had been targeted by activists for advertising on Breitbart, over content espousing racist and anti-Semitic views.
According to Allen Adamson, the former North American chairman of branding firm Landor Associates, it had become harder for brands to avoid alienating a large base of customers after a contentious and polarising election.
''There are dollars to be made on both sides of the divide,'' he said. ''It forces brands to make uncomfortable choices.''
Meanwhile, using the hashtag #DumpKelloggs to promote a petition through social media, Breitbart is calling on its readers to "ban bigotry from the breakfast table".
According to the media organisation, earlier run by US president-elect Donald Trump's chief strategist Steve Bannon, the move by Kellogg's to cease advertising was "an escalation of war".
After Kellogg removed its adverts from Breitbart on the basis that the site did not "align with our values as a company", Breitbart said the decision was one of a number of provocative moves by "leftist companies" against those whose values propelled Trump into the White House.
The online petition, posted on Wednesday had already received over 100,000 signatures.