This entry was posted on
Thursday, March 12th, 2009 at
2:28 pm and is filed
under Old Media.

[UPDATE (19 Mar) – I’m going with the consensus on this one, withdrawing from the boycott, and advising against action of this kind until further notice. There is a clear groundswell here, and Derek Lambie’s position looks increasingly untenable. This post remains only as an archive, and is not a call to action. If you wish to take action, start here then here. Thank you.]

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The following companies, all represented by their main domain name, advertised in the front half of the Daily Express today. I will be writing to all of them this afternoon about the Dunblane matter, with the following two exceptions:

– I am not including Comic Relief, partially on the assumption that their ad placement was free of charge.

– I am not including mybreast.org, as I have no present or future plans to invest in breast enhancement (with or without the homeopathic care these kind people offer).

BT’s the tough one. I get broadband from them, and moving providers is a pain. Plus, the list gets bigger from tomorrow if the Express peeps continue to be snippy about it. I hope my oxygen provider isn’t advertising with them at some stage, or I’ll find myself in difficulty.

Anyway, here’s the list:

alliance-leicester.co.uk (contact)
specsavers.co.uk (contact)
austinkaye.co.uk (contact)
bmw.co.uk (contact)
asda.co.uk (contact)
bathstore.com (contact)
seat.co.uk (contact)
lv.com (contact)
dfs.co.uk (contact)
dell.co.uk
postoffice.co.uk (contact)
marksandspencer.com (contact)
bt.com (contact)
halifax.co.uk
nationwideautocentres.co.uk (contact)
tesco.com
morrisons.co.uk
dreams.co.uk
greenflag.com
rac.co.uk
norwichunion.com
totesport.com
williamhill.com
ladbrokes.com
coral.co.uk

I’ll enrich this post with contact links/details for anyone who would care to join me in the exercise with a letter of their own.

A template for my letter appears below:

Dear Sirs,

It is with regret that I must refuse to do any further/future business with your company (a) for as long as you continue to pump advertising money into Express Newspapers, while (b) they refuse to apologise for the March 8th 2009 Sunday Express attack on innocent survivors of the Dunblane massacre (see attached PDF).

If you choose to withdraw your advertising from Express Newspapers and/or hear of an apology from Derek Lambie, Martin Townsend and/or Paula Murray, then please do let me know.

Cheers

Tim Ireland
www.bloggerheads.com

I don’t appreciate being fobbed off with aggressive bluffs. I get enough of that from populist cheats like Dale and Staines.

[Note – The role of MSP Elizabeth Smith in the offending article is a side-issue (albeit it a potentially shocking one), but so far it does not paint the staff of the Express in a particularly good light. Smith claims Dunblane was not mentioned by Paula Murray in any way during the relevant interview, and Derek Lambie from the Scottish Sunday Express now claims otherwise. So let the Express start producing tapes or issuing writs or something, because Smith’s accusation stands until they do, and I’ll keep repeating it for as long as she’s willing/able to stand by it.]

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UPDATES – She’s a busy old afternoon, but if there’s a ‘contact’ link next to a company, then I’ve emailed them.

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UPDATE (6pm) – Position on the post office is mail only and no extras (not so much as an envelope). I’d like to do something similar with BT and t’internet, but it’s a cop-out when broadband alternatives exist.

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UPDATE (13 Mar) – Busy day today follows a busy afternoon yesterday. I haven’t heard a peep from anyone at Express Newspapers since this email exchange. I’ll be adding to my list and writing more letters this afternoon, time permitting. Cheers all.

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[UPDATE (19 Mar) – I’m going with the consensus on this one, withdrawing from the boycott, and advising against action of this kind until further notice. There is a clear groundswell here, and Derek Lambie’s position looks increasingly untenable. This post remains only as an archive, and is not a call to action. If you wish to take action, start here then here. Thank you.]