A local pizza shop owner’s tongue-in-cheek advertising campaign sparks controversy, highlighting the ongoing debate about free speech and the limits of humor in marketing.
For nearly two decades, Jeremy Clemetson toiled at the East of Chicago Pizza chain, finally opening his own branch in Barberton, Ohio. As the proud owner of the pizza shop for the past fourteen years, Clemetson aimed to attract more customers by leveraging outdoor advertising to showcase his delicious pizzas.
Clemetson’s approach to advertising, however, stirred up quite a bit of controversy, as he employed a humorous tone that some community members found distasteful and offensive. Nevertheless, others didn’t see any harm in his slogans.
His marketing campaign featured various catchphrases, such as “Now Hiring, Must Show Up,” “If it’s not there in thirty minutes, move closer,” “Free Box with Every Pizza,” “Tammy, you need to show up to work,” and “Our Deep Dish Pizza is as big as a pothole.”
The jab at Tammy came after she took extended medical leave. Clemetson admits that he sources most of his advertising ideas from the internet, sometimes using them as is, or putting his own spin on them.
He remarked, “I scour the internet for different signs that people had. Sometimes I use them, and sometimes I reinvent my own.”
Customers often found Clemetson’s slogans amusing, citing them as the main reason they decided to give his pizza shop a chance. He figured that if the advertising was funny, the customers would assume the pizza was good too.
Clemetson had his eyes on one particular slogan that he wanted to use but was already claimed by a major motel chain. The slogan, “Fat people are harder to kidnap,” targeted overweight individuals, who happened to be some of his best patrons. He decided to borrow the phrase and feature it on a billboard alongside an image of a pepperoni pizza.
“I discussed the sign with a few people, and everyone thought it was funny. So I threw it up on our front sign, and no one said anything.”
The sign, which remained on Facebook for weeks without any negative comments, eventually went on tour. However, it wasn’t long before complaints began to roll in, reaching the pizza chain’s corporate headquarters.
The individual who lodged the complaint also sent an email to Fox 8, labeling the sign as “rude.” They argued that not only was the slogan offensive to overweight individuals, but it was also in poor taste considering it went up during January, which is National Human Trafficking Month.
Clemetson has since apologized for any unintentional insensitivity related to the kidnapping reference in the slogan.
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Source: AWM