Philly tells huge ‘Bee Movie’ ad to buzz off

In another sign of the desperate state of print media, the honchos at Philadelphia Media Holdings agreed to have the Inquirer-Daily News Building draped in a massive ad for Bee Movie that would include a 50-foot inflatable bee. The deal is apparently off, though, after community groups protested. PMH CEO and Inquirer publisher Brian Tierney, a former agency exec, told his own newspaper: “It’s meant to put a smile on people’s faces, and I think it will. It’s only for three weeks, so let’s give it a go.” Maybe if Jerry Seinfeld had agreed to hang outside the building for three weeks in a bee suit, it might have had a chance. The coverage of the matter includes this gem from Poynter Institute journalism ethicist Bob Steele: “Is it strictly being done to make money? Are times that bad?” He’s been out of the business a little too long. Oddly, when flying pigs were projected onto the building in May to celebrate a circulation increase, nobody complained.

—Posted by David Gianatasio

September 12, 2007 | Permalink