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Third Advertiser, Wrigley, Joins Taco Bell and GM in Pulling Ads from MTV’s ‘Skins’

Jan 24, 2011  •  Post A Comment

A third advertiser, Wrigley, has joined Taco Bell and GM in pulling ads from MTV’s new scripted series "Skins," amid controversy over the edgy show’s use of teenage actors, reports the Los Angeles Times’ ShowTracker blog.

Jennifer Jackson-Luth, senior manager of marketing communications for Wrigley, wrote in an email that the maker of chewing gum brands Orbit and Extra decided to suspend advertising in the show because "it is never our intent to endorse content that could offend our consumers. Any ads that previously aired during the show were part of a broader advertising plan with the network."

MTV had responded to GM and Taco Bell’s decisions to leave the show by noting, "We know that not every show works for every advertiser," the article notes.As we previously reported, some MTV executives asked the show’s producers to tone down some scenes because of concern some episodes may violate child pornography laws.

Meanwhile, the Parents Television Council is vowing to urge its members to contact all of "Skins" major advertisers, including Subway, H&R Block and L’Oreal, to ask them to stop supporting the show, according to the LA Times article.

New York Times media columnist David Carr writes that ‘Skins" is unlike most TV shows in that it does not always show kids that poor or marginal choices can have bad consequences. "Any adults on ‘Skins’ are of the Charlie Brown variety, feckless beings who are mostly heard off-screen making bummer noises. MTV leaves it to real-life parents to explain that sometimes, when a car goes underwater, nobody survives and that a quick hookup with cute boy at the party may deliver a sexually transmitted disease along with a momentary thrill."

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