Kitson's boycott manifesto. Image courtesy Kitson.
Kitson Demands Boycott of NBC
Since Labor Day Weekend, Kitson shoppers have been told to boycott NBC, its long running morning show Today and its advertisers.
Kitson founder Fraser Ross and his team has been placing boycott manifestos in bags at the more than 13 Kitson shops and the popular online store shopkitson.com.
The Kitson founder said that his store was ambushed on the Today show, when anchor Tamron Hall criticized the boutique retailer for selling shirts designed by Brian Lichtenberg, which bore the names of prescription drugs such as Vicodin. In an Aug. 28 broadcast, Hall said “People should not shop there until they get that down. It’s irresponsible.”
Ross wanted to an apology and claimed to get a runaround by NBC executives. With unsatisfactory results, the Kitson team posted his manifesto on the store window of a number of Kitson locations on Robertson and on shopkitson.com
He did not know if his business suffered financially from Hall’s boycott call. But he was insulted at what he perceived as NBC’s hypocrisy.
“I didn’t like that they were trying to look like the good guys. They are taking millions of dollars from pharmaceutical companies in advertising revenue,” Ross said.
NBC spokespeople would did not reply to repeated emailed requests for comments.
Ross said that he will not drop his call for boycott until he gets an apology. Kitson executives are considering bringing up the point at a shareholder meeting for NBC’s parent company, NBCUniversal, scheduled for mid-2014.
Kitson stores continue to sell the Brian Lichtenberg shirts bearing names of prescription drugs.
