The Michael Phelps saga continues to surprise. After cereal and snack marketer Kellogg's said it would not resign the Olympic hero as an endorser due to his now infamous bong photo, some speculated fellow sponsor Subway would follow suit. Surprise. After days of silence, Subway said Friday night it was supporting the Olympic swimming star. "Like most Americans, and like Michael Phelps himself, we were disappointed in his behavior," Subway said in a statement. "Also like most Americans, we accept his apology. Moving forward, he remains in our plans." Political campaigns and corporate marketers often wait until Friday night to release bad news. But in this case, Subway waited till the end of the week to support the Olympic swimmer. But wait, it's not over yet. AdAge.com reported Friday that Subway was likely to "backburner" its first TV campaign starring Phelps. What happens next? The swimmer is now giving interviews taking responsibility for his actions, expressing regret and promising to never, ever do it again. That's the first step in Crisis PR 101. Look for Phelps and his agents to make good on his promises through speeches, public service announcements and the like. Stay tuned.--Michael McCarthy, USA TODAY
Personally I think the emphasis on squeaky clean backgrounds misses the point of having someone that people in general can identify with. Plus, I've found the people who have fallen flat on their asses and had the brass cojones to pick themselves up and move beyond the incident without seeing the need to apologize for it are more worthy of my respect than those who have sanctimoniously walked the straight and narrow. I have a hell of a lot more potential respect for Phelps now than before this story broke. His only real sin was underestimating the prison that celebrity status can be.
I thought this was about smoking rock on the subways... Well I think Robert Downey Jr, might have done that, and hes fricking IRON MAN.. YES move on..
thats what i told the navy. "i only did it once, at a birthday party, i didn't like it and i'll never ever do it again." and it totally worked. kellogs made a bad move. cereals, pop tarts, cheezits, and cookies. we, the stoners fucking support kelloggs! subway apparently knows better. unfortunately though, a boycott of kelloggs would collapse as soon as a stoned person goes to the grocery store. sometimes you can't resist.
subway would never discriminate against marijuana users. after all, a good base of their customers and employees are huge stoners. Ive had two separate dealers that sold in ounces while on the job. that speaks volumes.
because Michael Phelps is an idol to alot of kids, and to see that he smokes pot doesn't "fit with the image" of his fans or sponsors. it has nothing to do with the credibility of the medals, and nobody is suggesting that they should revoke them
I dont really like subway, its expensive as fuck. The sub shop by my house is cheaper and much better I think.
