Obama ads on smutty 98Rock site

Posted by Brent Finnegan on August 27th, 2008

File this story under bizarre.

ClickZ, an online marketing trend tracking site, reports Obama ads “showed up on an array of local Clear Channel rock radio station Web sites [including Harrisonburg's 98Rock] featuring content some would consider inappropriate for a radio station, much less a presidential campaign.” A screenshot of 98rockme.com features Obama’s ad alongside borderline — some might say downright — pornographic images (NSFW).

ClickZ reports that the ads were placed by Centro, not the Obama campaign.

“The content on these sites is clearly objectionable and the ads should not have been displayed there,” Centro CEO Shawn Riegsecker told ClickZ News. “As soon as we were alerted to this issue, we removed the ads immediately. The DNC and Obama for America maintain very high editorial and content standards of where their advertising is displayed and we should not have placed an ad there,” he continued. Neither the DNC nor the Obama campaign responded to requests for comment.

Note to VerStandig: Clear Channel has apparently thrown down the website redesign gauntlet (although it may have landed on their foot).

9 Responses to “Obama ads on smutty 98Rock site”

  1. Brooke says:

    Wow you weren’t kidding. I just went to the site, and I was a little shocked at just how MUCH of their ads looked like something off the cover of Playboy.

  2. Brooke says:

    (that should have been “how MANY” not “how MUCH”) :-)

  3. Kelly says:

    It’s cool guys… now there’s an ad for Shenandoah County Fair right next to the swimsuit models. Family events totally mix well with semi nude girls in pools.

  4. Del says:

    But, of course, Limbaugh and all the other Clear Channel AM talking heads blame liberals for corrupting the culture.

  5. Barnabas says:

    Have you have been to the peep show at the Shenandoah County fair? Do they still do that? If so, then the add placement would be appropriate.

  6. Emmy says:

    Ad placement is such an amusing thing. I listen to Dave Ramsey on occasion and there have been times where he has had to address listeners comments about the credit card ads that sometimes run during his show. Dave is very anti-credit card.

    I was watching an episode of 30 days online the other day and the ad going into the show was for McDonald’s. If you aren’t familiar with 30 Days, the creator Morgan Spurlock, is also the creator of the SuperSize Me documentary.

  7. David Miller says:

    Emmy, that’s pretty good. In his book “The World Is Flat” Thomas Friedman wrote that companies have no morality. They are and should be completely willing to make money off of something that will eventually spell their doom. (summarizing from memory of course).

  8. Emmy says:

    Its official and history has been made. I have chills.

  9. mikekeane says:

    the best way to spot these insidiously jerky companies is bad taste. you can’t fake good taste. bad taste runs deep! have you listened to this station? of course its going to have corny stuff on its website! …though it was cornier that i had ever imagined.

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