Barbie Kicks Sea World’s Ass to the Curb
April 24, 2015
CNNMoney: Mattel, maker of Barbie #ForcedAccountability from Sea World by cutting ties with the company from the negative backlash from Blackfish and opted out of offering Sea World Barbie. Mattel’s image was being harmed by Sea World’s negative image and this announcement again hurts Sea World’s image and possibly profits.
The woman in the Sea World Ad claims “Our whales are healthy…I wouldn’t work here if they weren’t,” too bad the whales don’t have that choice on whether to work there or not.
PRSpin: You’ll also notice that Sea World (not unlike Monsanto) is now advertsing and taking aim at their detractors in an effort to protect their image (hurt by their own truth) which can damage profits. The timing and manipulation of facts are to mitigate negative damage as school is ending soon and many are planning family vacations.
PRSpinUnSpun: Whales in captivity according to Sea World live as long as those in the wild but it’s about quality of life not the quantity of years. Sea World calves have been rejected by their mothers something not found in the wild, are fed on a diet of pig and cow bones, orcas kept in confinement develop violent psychotic behavior, and orcas are social and travel in packs of 40 which isn’t possible in Sea World tank setting.
Barbie and Sea World are both marketed to children and Barbie is not without her own PR problems but cutting ties with Sea World (especially strategically before summer vacations) helps Mattel’s image while further injurying Sea World’s already tarnished (yet fact-based) negative image.
Serial Brand Ambassadors (or AmbASSaWhores) are bad for business
This is why it’s so important for any ethical company thinking of hiring brand ambassadors (don’t) or thinking of working with another company should do their due diligence when it comes to ethics and accountability. Hiding behind such glib statements as “without thinking through,” should serve as red flag for any consumer looking to brand ambassadors (who are company paid tools of manipulation) when helping making decisions that could possibly harm you or your family.
And don’t be fooled by the number of followers a person has on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter as more often than not those numbers are purchased. This is again an unethical tactic (it doesn’t matter others are doing it-it doesn’t make it any more right or ethical). I refuse to work with or endorse anyone using tactics meant to deceive either a company or consumers which is exactly what buying fakes “like” or “fans” epitomizes. It is much harder to grow a business ethically with sustainable growth and many unethical will purchase what looks like hypergrowth as a means of attracking the ability to shill brands for personal gain-That’s a another red flag.
Julia Allison’s previous and or current support of Sony, Radio Shack, Cheesy Skillets, Sea World, Coobie, and Yandy lack any continuity, and continuity is something a client should look for when hiring an ambassador (again if a company is hell-bent sent on it-I truly discourage this as the focus is on image (branding) and not the product (marketing). Also ambassadorships are should be limited in number and never hire anyone with multiple ambassadorships (it weakens your product) and never hire an ambassador who is not willing to clearly state the compensation terms as the lack transparency lends to unethical and or possible illegal behavior and not what any company should want to hitch their wagon to-so to speak.
Julia Allison got a book deal yesterday and nobody cared. Think about THAT when you think about how far we’ve come, Internet-outrage-wise.
— maura johnston (@maura) September 26, 2013
In the case of Julia Allison paid Sea World Ambassador and Sea World I’d say that fact based evidence over time does demonstrate their brands both lacking in ethics were matched well. Manipulation of facts, glib responses, lack of shame, remorse, guilt or accountability, shifting blame again are all red flags to me as a consumer, consultant and ethics advocate and I choose not to support or endorse companies including St. Martin’s Press whom Julia Allison has her book deal as a means to force accountability.
Should @StMartinsPress take a page from @Mattel and cut bait from unethical behavior? http://t.co/6Li6NgITfK #Ethics pic.twitter.com/Ef4GhrlkgR — Melayna Lokosky (@MelaynaLokosky) April 24, 2015
Perhaps it’s time for companies like St. Martin’s Press to take a page from Mattel who is ready to distance from and not encourage, replicate and reward the unethical behavior of Sea World by cutting bait and taking an honest look at their business model and making sure they choose an accomplice in the market place much more wisely the next time.
Does St. Martin’s Press like the idea of possibly
encouraging, replicating and rewarding unethical behavior
with book deals?
Julia Allison’s pending book Experiments in Happiness by St. Martin’s Press will likely include: An Unconventional Wedding: Julia Allison’s Self Marriage officiated by known child rapist Rabbi (Dr.) Marc Gafni at Burning Man’s Camp Mystic’s The Chillax Lounge & Theater which occured on Friday, August 29, 2014.
It appears that forced accountability from the website that Julia Allison refers to as haters Rediscovering Donk shamed her into either ethical behavior by removing Marc Gafni from her self marriage or forced re-editing of Camp Mystics site which later removed Marc Gafni from her self wedding line up. Allison herself has never publically addressed nor took accountability for the changes to her self wedding despite Gafni remaining on the schedule the same day as Facilitator (with Annie LaLa) for another event scheduled before her self wedding.
“…without thinking through,” was Julia Allison’s response to her paid ambassadorship with Sea World five or six years ago.
This is enough information for me to know that I will boycott St. Martin’s Press (sorry amazing, talented current authors-force accountability from your publisher) as they’ve rewarded a pathological history of unethical behavior by providing Julia Allison with a book deal (2014) for Experiments in Happiness and that deal which encouraged the replication of unethical behavior by collaborating with a known child rapist (2014) where she only distanced herself from the unethical behavior when she realized it could hurt her brand from those who forced accountability by exposing the truth she’d rather remain hidden; and, if St. Martin’s Press publishes Julia Allison’s book they will reward unethical behavior. (2016) It’s up to each person reading this to apply the facts and make the best choices for themselves and or their families.