WWE News: Automaker Dodge Calls WWE ‘Trashy’, Then Proceeds To Insult WWE Fans
It seems that some advertisers still are living in the old days when talking about WWE. While WWE is a consistent ratings draw, making it the top show on cable each time it’s on, some still do not care for it. No one has to be a fan of something they do not care for. Sadly, some who do not care for WWE still do not see it’s drawing ability. One big example: the auto giant Dodge.
According to The Wrestling Observer, Dodge recently bought advertising time with NBC Universal. Sadly the shows they bought time under brought in low ratings, hurting the advertising spot. NBCU offered “make good spots” to repay Dodge for what happened, and Dodge agreed. The story goes that NBCU offered a chance for them to advertise on USA Network under WWE RAW.
It made a lot of sense as WWE RAW still has a strong 18-49 male demographic. This is an audience that would certainly buy a vehicle, so the idea had merit.
The shows also average a 3.0 or higher rating, which works out to about 4 million people over the span of 3 hours. So any advertiser would see these numbers and jump at the opportunity, right? Not so fast.
Dodge told them that they would never buy time on WWE RAW. The advertiser was then told that WWE had changed its product massively to become more family friendly and advertiser friendly. This did not faze Dodge’s ad execs, who said regarding WWE, “I do understand that, but WWE doesn’t make sense for Dodge Dart. WWE is very trashy and not appropriate for our target.”
Most would not understand this, as the Dodge Dart is considered a type of car that men might have an interest in, with safety features worthy of a family to look into. That not only makes it fit the WWE time slot; it is literally going after it’s core audience. Dodge then came back with a response that many WWE fans might find highly disrespectful.
The executive advertiser proceeded to insult WWE fans saying that pro-wrestling fans were “low income people and won’t purchase our product.”
I guess I made a good decision by purchasing my truck from Nissan a couple months back. The Dodge Dart averages a price of about $16, 500. This is considered to be inexpensive and a potentially low enough payment per month for most people. So the fact that low income people were brought into the occasion actually insults people who might have an interest in a newer car at a lower price, such as the Dart for example.
There are several notable WWE fans who are quite wealthy, including Donald Trump, Adam Sandler, Jon Stewart, Freddie Prinze Jr., and many more. Additionally, pro-wrestling is not some sort of entertainment built for low income families. Many people make great money and watch it, as they saw it as children and continue to watch it with their children. WWE has something for everyone.
Plus, how is Dodge to know that the same audience that watches an NFL game Monday Nights on ESPN has anyone of higher income than WWE? The same can be said with any show, really.
While Dodge is not the only company that’s not interested in working with WWE or in buying advertising time from them, the insults thrown out were terrible at the very least. While WWE may not care what is said about it in some ways, they will surely not be happy about insults thrown at their fans. Will WWE bring this up in a press release or casually on WWE RAW one night as a dig to the company? Time will tell. For now, let us just contemplate life without Dodge.
[Images via Hollywoodreport, Complex]
