Commonwealth Bank says it won’t be advertising on Alan Jones’ radio show in the near future
One of the country’s biggest brands, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, or ‘Commbank’, has said it has no more planned advertising on Alan Jones’ breakfast radio show on Macquarie Media’s 2GB.
The bank’s current campaign concluded today. It then took to Twitter to announce it had been “dismayed” by comments Jones made on Thursday last week about New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, and would now take action.
The bank is now pulling public support for Jones, but it did let its current campaign continue running.
Now, according to Twitter, “no further advertising is scheduled for the Alan Jones program”.
Numerous brands have pulled their campaigns from the show – which commands the highest audience share in Sydney – but Jones himself has remained defiant, saying that any brands which leave, will just be replaced by other brands willing to take their place.
Speaking about Ardern last week, Jones said Australia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison should shove a sock down her throat. The comment was relating to Ardern criticising Australia’s inaction on climate change. Jones has frequently made public statements about not believing in human-made climate change, and many believe he frequently uses more violent language about women than he does about men.
The Commonwealth bank virtue-signalling is as cringeworthy as it gets. Alan Jones is pure gold and he’s worth every advertising dollar spent. The companies abandoning his program in droves are the real losers. These companies should stick to selling their products, stop pretending to be vicariously offended and leave the politics and virtue-signalling well enough alone. Just look at Gillette as a case in point.
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So…..
Sounds like CBA still has a contract with 2GB for Alan Jones show but they’ve suspended advertising for the time being….. until the fuss dies down and they can go back to business as usual sponsoring his hate speech, climate change denial etc.
Not good enough! They need to dump the show or I’ll find a new bank!
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I feel Alan Jones has done nothing wrong he is good at what he does and doesn’t need all this crap going on he stuck up for Australia as I would have done so the n/z priminister should maybe mind her own country and not ours (Australia ) give the guy a go and credit on what he has and is doing.
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Really! CBA taking the moral high ground is a mighty big call. Marketing team taking cues from Gillete perhaps.
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Jones is a disgrace sack him 2GB for insulting woman
He is a cranky old man and he should disappear forever
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Clown!!!!!
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I find banks hypocritical after all we have seen on the Banking Royal Commission !!!! Gillette comes to mind with idiots like this !!! They obviously have lots of money in The UN Climate Change Scam !!! Enough said !!!
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I bet if you looked at certain accounts of people and the organizations that bank with the cba they would be more offensive to some people than an a radio halfwits comments eg bikie gangs ,criminal linked organizations,george pell
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I totally agree!
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I totally agree with Radley. Why are companies like CBA taking the high moral ground, especially after ripping off the public for years.
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Will be closing all accounts with CBA.if this happens,stick to banking.
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Radley is right. Why should companies dictate what can or cannot be said on radio! It is censorship. These companies who talk about withdrawing advertising from stations or shows they do not like are setting a very dangerous precedent. We should feel free to discuss issues. like Mr Jones or not (and I do) he has a right to express his opinion, and his followers (that includes me ) have the right to listen, if we disagree with what is said we can phone up or send an email. To simply want to shut up discussion is frankly dangerous and reeks of something that would happen in a communist/socialist governed country. Let’s stand up for freedom of speech? And frankly those companies complaining about Mr Jones will find they will be given a cold shoulder by his listeners, and those who complain about him don’t listen to the station anyway.
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[Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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Calling it censorship is a bit of a stretch. Brands pulling sponsorship doesn’t impede on freedom of speech and doesn’t mean that they believe the content shouldn’t have the right to exist. It only means that they don’t want to build associations with the views and values of that radio station.
That being said, definitely agree that it’s not a great move for CBA. Seems a bit half-arsed to people on the left and it’s just plain virtue-signalling to people on the right. For a bank that needs to appeal to wider Australia, it isn’t really appealing to anyone.
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That attitude is pretty much everything that’s wrong with advertising. He’s moved beyond controversial with the occasional transgression to vile, inciteful, pure poison and destruction. It’s totally fair that people are out boycotting products that finance his show, I wouldn’t want a penny of mine spent supporting that. And I’ve stood up for him for years. Same goes for The Aus with its unwavering support for convicted pedophile, George Pell and it’s bullying of a teenage climate activist. I’ll be moving from Westpac (who advertise with them) at the end of my contract with them because the thought of propping up these repugnant, destructive entities makes my stomach churn.
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Companies aren’t dictating what can/can’t be said on radio – they’re dictating what environment they want to be associated with. Commbank, surprise surprise, don’t want to be seen to be a brand for old-world misogynists…good on them.
It’s society that had issue with his comments. Whilst I agree discourse is important, there are smarter and less vile ways to express a counter opinion. Free speech is not free from reaction – say what you want, but be prepared for the consequences.
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Can Mumbrella check these IP addresses? Looks like this thread is being brigaded by the same RWNJ sock puppet.
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Excuse me Mumbrella have you gone and built an API to pull through from the DailyTelegraph comments section? Names like Radley, Gail & Jocelyn… show me the code!
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Can confirm we have not. This is far beyond my capabilities!
Thanks,
Vivienne – Mumbrella
Hi there,
At this stage, there is no cross-over from the IP addresses. I’ll keep an eye on it.
Thanks,
Vivienne – Mumbrella
I put M$s through our CBA accounts (9 of them), in particular our media account. I’ve made it clear to my account manager that continued support for Jones will see those accounts all move. There is a big difference between using colloquial terms like ‘put a sock in it’ and using the active ‘stuff a sock down her throat’. That’s just promoting misogynist violence.
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So the Commonwealth Bank now taking the moral high ground? This is two-faced at best and stupid. Regardless of what you think of alan Jones, he slipped up and apologised. He is paid to COMMENT. this kind of “Me too, I’m offended” nonsense by companies is just bollocks. It just drags them into the debate polarising customers, many who would agree with Jones. Marketing 101 – Do not polarise customers!
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Interesting that the RWNJ on-line trolls are half of the comments … seven of the fourteen to-date.
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Can someone let the boomers stubbornly spruiking Alan Jones that they are objectively on the wrong side of history with this dinosaur
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“Stick a sock in it” We are curious beings, we all agree that there should be gender equality, yet we still say things like “Female Scientist” as if it were surprisingly unusual that a woman should be a scientist. If Jones had said “the Prime Minister should stick a sock in Trump’s throat” it would have been ignored or laughed at, but because he levels it at a Prime Minister who also happens to be a woman, then he is a misogynist and a man who supports violence towards women. This is like Trump himself, who called the Danish PM “nasty” he has referred to many men as nasty, and lazy and foolish, and worse, yet he is called out on this one because the Danish PM happens to be a woman.
Remember folks, that variety is what makes life interesting, opinions that match some code or follow a PC guideline are fine, but when all debate, all opinion conforms to some template and moral code, then we all become programmed automata.
Jones is a human being, not a god or a brains trust or a genius, just a flesh and blood human being, with faults and shortcomings and strong points. He gives a viewpoint, he follows his opinions and feelings, his joys and his fears. You don’t have to love him, you don’t have to agree with him, but if you support free speech, open opinion, and what we laughingly call “a fair go”, then you must stop acting like the moral majority, the right-thinking sector, the politically correct, the opinion police and the social avengers.
They concluded their campaign, and are not intending to advertise on his program again because of what he had to say about the NZ PM! What? Not ever again until maybe he gets on his knees and apologizes to the nation? Do they say they will not advertise on principal? What a virtue-signaling crock of shit, what a hypocritical statement, and this from a BANK mind you.
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Whoa! Looks like all the News Limited readers are on here today. Feels like I’m reading the Courier Mail or Daily Telegraph.
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CC’s right. Sure, Jones may have the right to free speech, but then he has to accept the backlash when he uses language that suggests violence against women. Given we’ve already lost 43 women and 12 children since January as a result of domestic violence, I don’t think anyone’s being hysterical or over reacting when they say someone with that much ‘influence’ should take the time to think before he speaks.As a result, I believe every sponsor should pull their advertising from anything AJ touches, regardless of whether it’s perceived as hypocritical or not.
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I agree Radley.
CBA the epitome of virtuosity ! Its a bit like the kettle and the pot. Virtual signalling at its hypocritical worse.
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Sounds tho’ you have joined the cranky team.
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Gee, I wonder whether Mr. Jones uses this sock down the throat truck [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy]
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Mr. Jones was [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy], Who is he to moralise about anything!
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He is also is the person who was [Edited under Mumbrella’s comment moderation policy], who is he to moralise about anything!
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Maybe we should all stop drinking alchohol if domestic violence is being blamed on a comment from a radio announcer.
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It’s called brand restructuring.
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Brands shouldn’t dictate what the radio shows say, however, brands also have every right to decide where they put their money. Brands absolutely can have views on what they stand for. It’s actually at the heart of what makes people associate with it or not.
I completely understand people’s scepticism with the CBA and whether or not they will withdraw in the long term. Again, you either stand for something or you don’t. Everyone know’s what Jones is like. This stuff always happens. The fact that anyone of these brands was their in the first place says more about them than whether they pull their advertising now or not.
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Commonwealth Bank is again Advertising on the Alan Jones show.
This Article probably needs to be updated to reflect CBAs current position on this issue as it is no longer accurate.
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Thank you. Other comments show a distinct lack of humanity!
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