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American Morning
Sound Off: Kenneth Cole Ads
Aired February 08, 2002 - 08:44 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to this morning's "Sound Off." He is known for being on the cutting edge, but now fashion designer Kenneth Cole is accused of exploiting the America's worst tragedy. At issue, is a group of Kenneth Cole ads in a 12 page newspaper supplement this past weekend. The theme was the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and how they brought all Americans closer together. But there are some who claim these patriotic portraits are really shameless marketing tools, while others say it's just plain capitalism.
Joining us now from Washington to sound off on this, Howard Kurtz, media critic for the "Washington Post" and host of CNN's "Reliable Sources." Happy Friday to you, Howie.
HOWARD KURTZ, MEDIA CRITIC, WASHINGTON POST: You too, Paula.
ZAHN: And joining us from New York this morning, Constitutional lawyer Ann Coulter. Welcome back, Ann.
ANN COULTER, CONSTITUTIONAL LAWYER: Hi there.
ZAHN: All right, before we get started here, we're going to show, once again, these ads, a little bit slower, to give people a time to digest what they actually look like, over the weekend if they didn't get the supplement in their paper.
Howard, and we've got to read some of this -- like here. It says on September 12th -- well, the graphic just went by, but basically -- let me just read that statistic there, 140,000 people -- 14,000 people still contracted HIV. What problem do you have with this?
KURTZ: Well, not to put too fine a point on this, I just find it nauseating. Here we have the greatest tragedy to befall our country, in about 50 years, 3,000 Americans dead, and you have a company that is wrapping itself around this, and merchandising it, and marketing it to sell shoes, to sell high-end shoes, to be sure.
You know, I'm all for creative capitalism, but there is something about this that just strikes a very sour note with me, and this is not the only company that has gone the 9/11 route when it comes to pitching its products. I've got pitches all the time from PR firms that begin, in light of September 11th, you know, Americans need have more fun, so please read our magazine.
ZAHN: Are you offended by that, ann?
COULTER: No, not at all. I think a lot of media cynics want to move on from America's sentimentality and patriotism at this time of war, but I don't see any uprising in the public for that, I don't see any ground swell of support. I know of no demographic that has been polled on this, other than media cynics.
I think people do feel a sentimentality about September 11th, and I think it is fine to appeal to it. I mean, it shows that -- to paraphrase Reuters, one man's exploitation is another person's sentimental appeal. I don't see what the problem is, other than the general epidemic of columns saying, when is this flag waving going to end? Well, it might not end. We're not ready to move on yet.
ZAHN: Ann, I'd love for your reaction...
KURTZ: Hold on, hold on.
ZAHN: Okay, Howard, go on.
KURTZ: I just want to briefly respond. I'm not against flag waving, I'm not against sentimentality, I'm not against the country still working out the grieving that it's going through over those awful events in New York and Washington. What we're talking about here is whether you should -- whether a corporation should use that in order to move product, and that's the part that offends me.
COULTER: So you're just against capitalism?
KURTZ: I think that's a little bit of a stretch, Ann.
ZAHN: Let you read to you what Kenneth Cole sent to us last night in a statement from the company. He said, "we sought to find a way to address the pain and to recognize the increased sense of humanity and community. With this campaign, we hope to inspire people to make the best of every day. If some feel that we have gone too far, that is regrettable -- Howard, your reaction?
KURTZ: You know, that's a nice-sounding statement, but I can't -- it's hard to peel that away from the fact that we're still talking about selling shoes. And, you know, they may have the highest of motives, and, you know, lots of companies have had commercials, including during the Super Bowl, that use some kind of 9/11 theme. You know, it's not a felony. It's just supremely tacky.
ZAHN: All right. Ann, react to what John Podhoretz wrote in the "New York Post." He said, "Cole's ad spread is a truly alarming portent, in part because its political correctness in mentioning AIDS suggests that Cole thinks he's done something noble by incorporating 9/11 into his advertising."
You say there's nothing noble about any of these ads being run, right, they just touch upon this sentimentality, you believe that grew out of the September 11th attacks?
COULTER: Well, and it may appeal to a nobility of the consumer. Yeah, it is capitalism. Kenneth Cole isn't trying to hide the fact that he is selling shoes, and that's always been Kenneth Cole's advertising shtick. That's what he does. I mean, I'm pleased it's no longer "save the whales" or whatever his usual, you know, political ax to grind is, which is always a liberal ax. And now, okay, he's appealing to patriotism and sentimentality. I don't really have a problem with that. I mean the segment just before this one -- we're not even moving on from lynching stories. Somehow bad things about America we can lovingly tell over and over again and endless books and you know, roll that one over, and nurture the stories of the bad things about America, but when there's this upsurge of patriotism and warm feelings toward America, well, that's bad, don't play on that.
ZAHN: Howie, on closing this morning, do you have a problem with news organizations wrapping themselves in the American flag? I mean, if you look at anybody's banners now on television, it seems that there's a competition to see whose flag can be, you know, broader and stronger and bolder on the air.
KURTZ: Well, the problem...
ZAHN: And the same thing holds... I mean, you look at newspapers across the country, they're playing to this new sense of patriotism as well.
KURTZ: Yeah. I was going to say we shouldn't be tarring and feathering Kenneth Cole with too much vigor, because everybody from politicians to sports leagues to news organizations has gotten in on this to some degree, you know, wrapping themselves -- in effect, merchandising the awful events of September 11th. The only problem with all the networks using the flag logos is they are supposed to be covering, you know, the international events, whether it's the debate about the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, and that sort of thing, and it's not helpful from a news point of view to be seen as pro-USA cheerleaders. Now, I know journalists don't view themselves that way, but when you have got the red, white and blue in the corner --
ZAHN: Oh, come on, Howard, you're not saying that compromises our ability to ask tough questions of our country when with we have a little banner behind us.
KURTZ: I'm not saying that, I'm not saying that at all, but I am saying it's a symbol. It is there for a reason, and that is that media corporations, just like a lot of other people, just like Kenneth Cole, right now want to ride this wave of patriotism and be identified in the public mind with, you know, pro-USA sentiment.
ZAHN: All right, Ann, you get the final word. You got about ten seconds to do it.
COULTER: I'd be curious to know whether Reuters is taking a position on whether or not journalists should be taken hostage now, since they won't take a position on whether or not the attack was good or bad, won't refer -- one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. Do they have a position on the Wall Street Journal Reporter taken hostage, or do they have to maintain objectivity on that?
ZAHN: That might fuel debate on your show, Howie.
KURTZ: Well, I will defer to Ann on this, because I haven't bought any Kenneth Cole shoes, so she may have slightly greater expertise.
ZAHN: All right, thank you both.
COULTER: And to Anheuser-Busch.
ZAHN: Ann Coulter and Howard Kurtz. Appreciate your time this morning for our "Sound Off" segment.
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