Transcript
WXMI Newsreader – Tonight Alticor is launching a series of TV ads, the first time in twenty years. The company says it’s an attempt to defend its image from attacks against it by the democratic campaign for governor. Alticor’s former president it is the Republican challenger. FOX 17’s Carl Apple with more on this.
Reporter – Dick DeVos is the former president of Alticor, Jennifer Granholm has been using his history with the company to argue that he’ll do for Michigan what he did for Alticor. Tonight the company says the new ads are just damage control but others think it’s just politics.
Amway ad – Let me tell you about the Amway I know
Reporter – Two thirty second TV ads, Amway employees bragging about the company’s jobs and products. But it’s been more than twenty years since the Ada based company has done any advertising on TV. Why now?
Democratic ad – Out sourcing, Bush economics, corporate profits and jobs shipped overseas.
Reporter – This is why, Governor Jennifer Granholm claiming her opponent outsourced jobs to China. Alticor, Amway’s parent company claims the they’re just trying to improve the company name.
Rob Zeigler (Alticor) – I don’t want it to be used as it is by some elected official right now. This is a name that holds up our business.
Reporter – But the timing has some asking questions.
Jason Moon (Democratic Party) – I think it’s no coincidence, look, they haven’t been advertising on TV and now look. It’s two months away from the election, they’re on TV…
Reporter – Democrats are seeing this purely as an extension of the campaign, even though Alticor says its been planning ads like this for years.
Rob Zeigler – The ads do not come across politically and they are not intended to be political. They don’t tell you to vote for anybody, they don’t tell you not to vote for anybody.
Reporter – Hope College political professor Doug Koopman says that may be, but these ads will be seen by voters.
Doug Koopman – I really don’t think it’s a political ad at all connected to government and elections. It certainly has an impact on the campaigns going on.
Reporter – While the Granholm campaign says its political move, the DeVos campaign says they didn’t know anything about the ads. Even so, Koopman says it may help their candidate.
Koopman – In some sense its to blunt whatever negative cast on anyone associated with Amway. And of course Dick DeVos happens to be one of the more prominent people associated with Amway.
Reporter – The ad started airing tonight and will run on several stations here in West Michigan along with the Flint and Detroit area. The company maintains this is all about employees angry about the attacks.
Newsreader – Still about two and half months until the elections, could get interesting.
Reporter – -It’s heating up, that’s for certain.
Newsreader – Thanks Carl.
Total Time: 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
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