Lane Bryant: ABC Memo Confirms ABC Rejected Lane Bryant Ad

MEDIA RECORDS SHOW LANE BRYANT ADS WERE TREATED DIFFERENTLY THAN THOSE OF VICTORIA'S SECRET

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Apr 22, 2010, 08:23 ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Lane Bryant today released a memorandum from ABC, Inc. today rejecting its Cacique ad from a number of programs including Dancing With the Stars.

The memo dated April 9, 2010 said, "UPON APPROVAL, THIS COMMERCIAL IS RESTRICTED FROM THE FOLLOWING PROGRAMMING/TIME PERIODS (ET): Post 9 PM: Extreme Makeover, Home Edition and Wipeout, Animated Wonderful World of Disney, Wonderful World of Disney, Dancing With the Stars, America's Funniest Videos, Game Shows."

"ABC's statement that 'Lane Bryant was treated absolutely no differently than any advertiser for the same product' is simply not true. It was only after we got the rejection and raised the fact that they were operating under a double standard that they reluctantly agreed to put us in the last pod of the program. The Victoria's Secret ads, which had aired on Dancing With the Stars prior to the date our ad was rejected were not subject to the same restrictions. We have records of their ads airing in earlier time slots," a Lane Bryant spokesman said.

"There was absolutely no rationale for us to be relegated to the back of the bus, when our ads were no more risque than those of Victoria's Secret. The only difference is the size of our models. We would have expected better from a company owned by Disney," the spokesman for Lane Bryant added.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For the ABC memo, please contact Holly Baird or Tammy Taylor.

CONTACT: Tammy Taylor, +1-310-788-2850, [email protected], or Holly Baird, +1-310-788-2850, [email protected]

SOURCE Lane Bryant