Swedish inflation-linked bonds may be understating the risk of price gains in the largest Nordic economy as most forecasters, including the central bank, predict inflation will outpace market bets.
The breakeven rate on Sweden
Consumers are demanding better service in unprecedented ways.
In the past several months, public outrage has helped beat back efforts by Bank of America, Netflix and Verizon to raise fees or significantly alter services. The victories come at a time when money is tight all around and consumers are tapping into social media to air their frustrations with like-minded individuals.
“In the past people would be angry, but they’d be all over the country talking to their neighbors,” said Kit Yarrow a professor of consumer psychology at Golden Gate University. “Now they can connect online and they have power.”
For example, petitions on Change.org were instrumental in convincing Bank of America and Verizon to drop plans for new fees. “Bank Transfer Day,” which sprang to life after Bank of America’s announcement, called on Facebook supporters to move their money to a credit union or community bank.
Not every issue demands a mass call to action. But consumers basking in their newfound sense of empowerment should keep their expectations high going into 2012. Here are some strategies for making sure you get the service you deserve.
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Work the chain of command
Before you switch into outrage mode, give a company a fair chance to right any wrongs. It may be that the issue can be easily resolved with a simple email or phone call to customer service.
But if the customary means aren’t helpful, one strategy is to reach out to the company CEO or another high-ranking officer. Most major companies have “executive resolution teams” that field correspondence from customers who take their complaints to the top, says Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org, which features news and tips on deals. And these teams generally have a lot more leeway to appease customers.
To get your message in the right hands, start by searching under the “About” section on the company’s website. Even if executive contact information isn’t listed, you can usually figure out their email addresses based on the contact information listed for other employees. Otherwise, try mailing a letter to the corporate headquarters.
“Really boil it down,” Dworsky said. “If it goes on and on, they’re not going to have the time or patience to read it. Put yourself in the shoes of the recipient of the letter.”
Make it easy for the company by quickly spelling out the resolution that you’re seeking. And don’t forget to include any relevant information, such as order numbers or purchase dates.
Reach out and tweet
You don’t have to be Alec Baldwin to have your complaints heard on Twitter.
Most major companies have a social media presence by now. And since they don’t want negative mentions turning up in search results, any reasonable question or complaint is likely to get a response.
Even if you don’t hear back from anyone, it’s likely that companies are taking note of any comments about them.
At JetBlue, for example, a few customers recently tweeted about a crowded gate that only had one agent. That triggered the airline’s social media team to contact staff at the airport to find out if any additional agents were available to help out, said Morgan Johnston, JetBlue’s social media strategist.
But he noted that Twitter is more commonly used to request time-sensitive information that can be conveyed in 140 characters _ such as connecting flight or gate numbers. The company monitors its Twitter account around the clock and tries to respond within a few minutes.
“It’s more of an information booth than a traditional customer service channel,” Johnston said.
Twitter isn’t only for basic information requests, however. Citibank also monitors the site and tries to respond to any questions within an hour, said Frank Eliason, who heads the bank’s social media strategy. If customers need to share personal account information, they’re sent a link to a private page on the bank’s website where they can continue the exchange in the same Twitter-like format.
Call for backup
If you’re not getting anywhere and feel your complaints are being brushed off, it can help to get a third-party involved.
If you paid with your credit card, you can always file a claim to have a charge removed from your account. Keep in mind that you need a concrete reason _ such as a product defect or missed delivery _ to make such claims. Your card issuer isn’t going to investigate a dispute just because you were unhappy with a rude waiter.
Another option is to file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org/complaint. The local BBB office will contact the company within two days and ask for a response to the complaint on your behalf. The vast majority of complaints are resolved this way, said spokeswoman Katherine Hutt. That’s because businesses know their ratings are affected by whether they respond to complaints.
For more serious situations where you suspect fraud or feel your rights were violated, consider filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission or your state attorney general’s office. You likely won’t get a speedy resolution but at least those agencies will be on notice in case other customers are reporting similar abuses.
Stay connected online
In rare situations, you may feel a company policy calls for a broader action. In the case of Bank of America and Verizon, online petitions were key in quantifying the public’s widespread distaste for new fees.
“It’s an incredibly efficient means of customer feedback that’s not controlled by the company,” said Ben Rattray, founder of the Change.org, which hosted the petitions against both companies. “It’s customer feedback that’s controlled by customers.”
Your issues don’t necessarily have to be with a big national company either. Change.org plans to roll out localized versions so users can voice concerns about businesses in their communities.
The job market is looking a little brighter at the start of the new year.
Weekly unemployment benefit applications have fallen to levels last seen more than three years ago. Holiday sales were solid. Service companies grew a little faster in December. And many small businesses say they plan to add jobs over the next three months.
The mix of private and government data released Thursday sketched a picture of an economy that is slowly strengthening, stoking optimism one day ahead of the government’s important read on December job growth.
“Businesses have increased hiring to meet the underlying pick-up in (consumer) demand,” said Neil Dutta, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.
The mostly positive reports had little impact on financial markets. Traders seemed more focused on the debt crisis in Europe, which could slow U.S. growth later this year. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 37 points in midday trading. Broader indexes were mixed.
Weekly applications for unemployment benefits dropped to a seasonally adjusted 372,000 last week, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s 11 percent lower than the same time last year.
The four-week average, which smooths fluctuations, fell to 373,250 _ the lowest level since June 2008.
When applications drop below 375,000 _ consistently _ they generally signal that hiring is strong enough to reduce the unemployment rate.
Steven Wood, an economist at Insight Economics, said applications last year averaged 411,000 per week, down from 459,000 per week in 2010.
That’s “a clear indication that the pace of layoffs has slowed,” Wood said.
U.S. service firms, which employ roughly 90 percent of the work force, grew a little faster in December, according to the Institute for Supply Management.
The trade group of purchasing managers said its index of non-manufacturing activity rose to 52.6. That’s slightly above November’s reading of 52 _ the lowest in nearly two years _ but well below last year’s high of 59.7 recorded in February.
Any reading above 50 indicates expansion.
An increase in new orders and stronger imports drove last month’s modest expansion. But a gauge of hiring showed many service firms were hesitant to add workers no fax payday advance.
Retailers, meanwhile, reported solid but not spectacular sales gains last month. And much of the increase stemmed from heavy discounting that will likely cut into profits.
Sales rose 3.5 percent in December for a group of 25 retail chains tracked by the International Council of Shopping Centers. Holiday sales, which cover the last two months of the year, rose 3.3 percent, a decent rise but less than last year’s gain.
Small businesses remain encouraged about their plans to hire over the next three months. The National Federation of Independent Business says the proportion of those firms that expect to add workers is slightly off from the three-year high hit last month.
Economists are predicting that overall hiring increased in December and will strengthen this year.
John Ryding, an economist at RDQ Economics, forecasts that employers added 180,000 jobs last month, a big jump from November’s 120,000 net jobs.
Economists surveyed by the Associated Press project that the economy will generate an average of 175,000 jobs per month this year. That would be a step up from average monthly gains of 130,000 last year and 78,000 in 2010.
In November, the unemployment rate fell to 8.6 percent from 9 percent. Still, about half that decline occurred because many of the unemployed gave up looking for work. When people stop looking for a job, they’re no longer counted as unemployed.
The pickup in hiring reflects some modest improvement in the economy. Growth will likely top 3 percent at an annual rate in the final three months of this year, economists expect. That would be a sharp improvement over the 1.8 percent growth in the July-September quarter.
Even so, many economists forecast that growth could slow to roughly 2 percent this year. Europe is almost certain to fall into recession because of its financial troubles. And without more jobs and higher incomes, consumers may have to cut back on spending. That could drag on growth in 2012.
___
AP Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger contributed to this report.
Commodities may rebound from their first retreat in three years as developing economies shore up global growth, driving demand higher at a time when raw-material producers are already struggling to keep up.
Precious metals will advance 27 percent or more, industrial metals at least 17 percent and grains 5 percent, according to the median estimates in a Bloomberg survey of 143 analysts, traders and investors. Nine of the 15 commodities covered by a similar survey a year earlier reached their predicted highs in 2011, with another five no more than 4 percent away.
The Standard & Poor
+%3Cp%3EDeserted+by+many+of+his+fellow+Republicans%2C+U.S.+House+Speaker+John+Boehner+surrendered+to+attacks+from+President+Barack+Obama+and+congressional+Democrats+and+agreed+to+a+two-month+extension+of+a+payroll+tax+cut+that+he+derided+hours+earlier.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+decision+kicks+the+fight+over+extending+the+tax+cut+for+160+million+U.S.+workers+into+early+next+year+without+resolving+deep+divides+over+how+to+cover+the+cost+through+2012.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EDemocrats+are+focused+on+imposing+a+new+tax+on+income+exceeding+%241+million+while+Republicans+want+to+cut+the+federal+work+force+and+freeze+pay+for+government+workers.+Republicans+also+want+to+attach+policies+to+a+payroll+tax+cut+extension+–+opposed+by+Democrats+–+such+as+a+rewrite+of+the+unemployment+system+or+weaker+rules+for+industrial+emissions.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+deal+that+Boehner+and+Senate+Majority+Leader+Harry+Reid%2C+a+Nevada+Democrat%2C+agreed+to+yesterday+includes+language+that+calls+on+Obama+to+accelerate+approval+of+the+Keystone+XL+Canadian+oil+pipeline.+Both+chambers+plan+to+pass+the+tax+cut+deal+today+by+unanimous+consent%2C+which+means+most+lawmakers+won%92t+have+to+return+to+Washington+over+the+holiday+recess.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EBoehner+could+be+in+a+weaker+position+entering+the+2012+negotiations+after+presiding+over+the+tumult+of+recent+days%2C+in+which+Senate+Republicans+opposed+Boehner%92s+stance+and+some+House+Republicans+had+begun+to+defect+as+well.+The+talks+next+year+will+unfold+in+the+months+ahead+of+a+presidential+election%2C+making+Boehner%92s+task+more+difficult.+%3C%2Fp%3E+No+Time+for+Celebration++%3Cp%3E%93I+don%92t+think+it%92s+a+time+for+celebration%2C%94+the+Ohio+Republican+told+reporters+yesterday.+%93Our+economy+is+struggling.+We%92ve+got+a+lot+of+work+ahead+of+us+in+the+coming+year.%94+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EAfter+days+of+relentless+attacks+from+Democrats+and+negative+headlines+in+the+press%2C+some+Republicans+were+pleased+to+see+Boehner+cut+his+losses.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%93The+great+danger+would+have+been+if+we+continued%2C%94+said+Representative+Tom+Cole+of+Oklahoma.+%93We+made+our+points.+We%92ve+gotten+some+modifications.%94+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+pressure+for+Boehner+to+cut+a+deal+was+building+for+days.+Republican+Senators+Olympia+Snowe+of+Maine%2C+Scott+Brown+of+Massachusetts%2C+John+McCain+of+Arizona+and+Bob+Corker+of+Tennessee%2C+criticized+Boehner%92s+move+to+reject+the+bipartisan+two-month+extension+after+it+passed+the+Senate+on+Dec.+17%2C+just+two+weeks+before+the+tax+cut+was+set+to+expire.+%3C%2Fp%3E+Isolation+in+Opposition++%3Cp%3EBoehner+became+more+isolated+in+his+opposition+to+the+Senate-passed+bipartisan+bill+after+the+top+Republican+in+the+Senate%2C+Mitch+McConnell+of+Kentucky%2C+issued+a+statement+before+lunchtime+yesterday+urging+the+House+to+pass+the+short-term+measure.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EMcConnell+said+the+House+should+pass+a+bill+that+averts+%93any+disruption+in+the+payroll+tax+holiday+or+other+expiring+provisions+and+allows+Congress+to+work+on+a+solution+for+the+longer+extensions.%94+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThat+statement+%93sealed+the+deal%94+in+ending+the+standoff%2C+said+Brian+Gardner%2C+the+senior+vice+president+for+Washington+research+at+KBW+Inc.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EBoehner+held+a+conference+call+with+Republicans+yesterday.+On+a+similar+conference+call+following+the+Dec.+17+Senate+passage+of+the+two-month+extension%2C+rank-and-file+Republicans+pressed+Boehner+to+oppose+the+measure.+They+did+so+on+Dec.+20+as+the+House+rejected+the+Senate+bill+229-193.+%3C%2Fp%3E+Different+Tone++%3Cp%3EHouse+Republicans+who+participated+in+yesterday%92s+call+said+the+tone+was+much+different+than+after+the+Senate+vote.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%93It+wasn%92t+truly+a+conference+call%2C%94+Representative+Jack+Kingston%2C+a+Georgia+Republican%2C+said.+%93It+wasn%92t+a+solicitation+of+opinion.%94+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThough+most+House+Republicans+still+want+a+yearlong+deal%2C+Kingston+said+that+it+was+time+for+the+party+to+move+forward.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%93This+takes+the+whole+thing+off+the+front+page+and+that%92s+a+good+thing%2C%94+he+said.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3ESome+House+Republicans+said+yesterday+they+don%92t+think+Boehner%92s+agreement+to+pass+the+two-month+extension+puts+him+in+immediate+danger+of+losing+the+support+of+the+Republican+majority+he+leads.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3ERepresentative+Sean+Duffy%2C+a+freshman+Republican+from+Wisconsin%2C+said+Boehner+was+trying+to+reflect+the+views+of+his+colleagues.+Duffy+said+he+is+pleased+that+a+tax+increase+will+be+avoided+in+January+and+doesn%92t+think+the+saga+would+hurt+Republicans+in+the+2012+election.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%93I+think+the+American+public+will+look+at+the+economy+and+job+growth+and+the+lack+thereof%2C%94+Duffy+said.+%93I+don%92t+think+this+is+an+indicator+of+what+will+happen+next+year.+%3C%2Fp%3E+Provisions+Extended++%3Cp%3EWithout+congressional+action%2C+the+payroll+tax+for+employees+would+rise+in+January+to+6.2+percent+from+the+current+4.2+percent.+The+tax+funds+Social+Security.+The+deal+also+averts+an+end+to+emergency+unemployment+benefits+set+to+expire+on+Dec.+31+and+assures+doctors+their+Medicare+reimbursement+rates+won%92t+be+reduced+starting+in+January.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EMichael+Feroli%2C+%3Ca+topic_url%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Ftopics.bloomberg.com%2Fjpmorgan-chase-%26amp%3B-co%2F%22+href%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fapps%2Fquote%3Fticker%3DJPM%3AUS%22+density%3D%22sparse%22+title%3D%22Get+Quote%22+ticker%3D%22JPM%3AUS%22+class%3D%22web_ticker%22%3EJPMorgan+Chase+%26amp%3B+Co.+%28JPM%29%92s+New+York-based+chief+U.S.+economist%2C+said+economic+growth+would+be+reduced+by+0.5+percentage+points+in+the+first+quarter+and+1.5+percentage+points+in+the+second+quarter+of+2012+if+the+payroll+tax+cut+and+expanded+unemployment+benefits+weren%92t+continued.+If+they+are+extended+for+the+year%2C+he+expects+growth+of+2.5+percent+in+the+first+half+of+the+year%2C+he+said+in+a+Dec.+16+note+to+clients.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EHouse+Ways+and+Means+Committee+Chairman+Dave+Camp%2C+a+Michigan+Republican%2C+will+introduce+the+legislation+in+the+House+today+that+will+implement+the+agreement.+%3C%2Fp%3E+Unanimous+Consent++%3Cp%3EThe+measure+will+be+brought+up+in+the+House+under+unanimous+consent+to+avoid+requiring+lawmakers+to+return+and+could+be+cleared+in+the+Senate+later+in+the+day+using+the+same+process.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+legislation+includes+one+difference+from+the+version+passed+by+the+Senate.+A+yearlong+payroll+tax+cut+extension+would+apply+to+the+first+%24110%2C100+in+wages.+To+prevent+someone+from+shifting+all+their+income+into+the+first+two+months+of+the+year%2C+the+Senate+bill+limited+the+tax+break+to+the+first+%2418%2C350+a+worker+earns.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3ERepublicans+changed+the+bill+to+apply+the+tax+cut+to+the+full+%24110%2C100+in+wages%2C+according+to+information+provided+by+Camp%92s+office.+That+makes+it+easier+for+payroll+processors+to+continue+the+tax+cut+if+it+is+extended+beyond+February.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EWorkers+who+earn+more+than+%2418%2C350+during+the+first+two+months+of+the+year+will+pay+an+additional+2+percentage+point+tax+when+they+file+their+returns+in+2013.+%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+bill+is+HR+3630.+%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp%3E%3Ca+href%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bloomberg.com%2Fnews%2F2011-12-22%2Fhouse-s-boehner-senate-s-reid-said-to-agree-on-u-s-payroll-tax-cut-plan.html%27+rel%3D%27nofollow%27%3ESource%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E+
The euro slid below $1.30 on Wednesday for the first time since the early days of 2011 and Italian borrowing rates rose ominously, as the optimism from a dramatic European summit last week fades with the realization that the continent’s underlying debt problems remain unsolved.
Italy’s last bond auction of the year Wednesday showed the heavily indebted country facing even higher rates to get investors to lend it their cash. The eurozone’s third-largest economy paid 6.47 percent interest to borrow euro3 billion ($3.95 billion) for five years at a bond auction, up from 6.30 percent just a month ago.
Higher rates are a sign that last week’s agreement to tighten the rules against eurozone governments piling up debt has failed to restore confidence.
That’s evident in the performance of the euro too, which has suffered an acute bout of selling since Friday’s deal. On Wednesday, it traded below $1.30 for the first time since January 12, hitting a low of $1.2968.
As experts from the different capitals start the laborious work of putting the deal into practice through a new treaty, the questions continued about the financial steadiness of governments, banks and the eurozone economy, which is showing signs of sinking back into recession. Industrial production fell a further 0.1 percent in October, yet another sign of weakness many think will lead to a recession that will only make repaying debt harder.
“The process of negotiating the final deal to suit all will only add to doubts about its relevance in the long run _ meanwhile the immediate crisis continues,” said Elisabeth Afseth, an analyst at Evolution Securities.
While praised as a step toward preventing another buildup of debt in coming years, last week’s deal does not provide a convincing resolution to the crisis. It does not reduce current debt levels and offered little reassurance that eurozone governments will be able to find the money they need to roll over those debts in the coming few months.
It did not convince markets there is a financial backstop big and flexible enough to support Italy and Spain, the latest focus of the two-year old debt crisis that began in October 2009 when Greece admitted its finances were much worse than it had previously said.
Greece, Ireland and Portugal have all needed bailouts as fear of default spread from country to country and drove up their borrowing rates, eventually cutting them off from bond markets.
The summit did come up with a commitment from EU governments to loan up to euro200 ($264 billion) to the International Monetary Fund, which in turn could help out the eurozone.
Leaders also agreed to activate a new euro500 billion ($659 billion) euro backstop fund, the European Stability Mechanism, a year ahead of time in July. But since the existing rescue funds, which have the same financing caps, would expire once the ESM comes into force, the overall amount of money available from the eurozone to help out struggling governments will remain the same payday loans no teletrack.
The fund is still considered too small to convincingly backstop Italy, which has euro1.9 trillion ($2.5 trillion) in outstanding debt. That leaves many economists saying that eventually the European Central Bank will have to step up its so-far limited purchases of government debt.
They say only a clear statement by the ECB that it will buy as much debt as needed to keep borrowing costs down can convince markets. That is because the ECB has the power to buy bonds with newly-created money.
The bank however has held off, with ECB head Mario Draghi saying governments must cut deficits and take steps to improve growth themselves to win back bond market confidence _ and not rely on central bank bailouts.
The current limited bond buys have eased some of the pressure on Italy, but the bank says they are only intended to steer short term interest rates, which is its main job.
Draghi must also contend with fierce opposition to printing money to fund large-scale bond purchase from Germany’s Bundesbank central bank, which is part of the ECB.
Bundesbank head Jens Weidmann is the leading critic of the idea, saying that creating new money would violate the bank’s legal mandate, since the EU treaty requires it to fight inflation as its first priority.
The debt treaty does provide some assurance governments are working together to address the euro’s flaws in the long-term. But it will not be signed until March at the earliest, and a text must first win approval from the 17 eurozone governments and nine others that the EU hopes will sign. Britain has said it will not.
The first draft of the new treaty is expected to be circulated among European capitals sometime next week, EU officials say, but governments will likely try to keep its content confidential until some of the more tricky issues have been resolved.
The biggest among these is how the new accord will interact with the existing Treaty of the European Union and whether it can rely on EU institutions, such as the European Commission and the European Court of Justice, to enforce the new budget rules.
Governments and national parliaments are also likely to watch closely how much sovereignty they are transferring to Brussels or their fellow euro members and whether their own constitutions will be affected.
__
Gabriele Steinhauser is Brussels contributed to this report.
Lowe’s is planning to stick by its decision to yank its ads from a reality TV show about American Muslims despite the growing opposition the home improvement chain is facing over the move.
California Sen. Ted Lieu put a statement out on Sunday that he is considering calling for a boycott of Lowe’s Cos., sparking criticism of the chain from both inside and outside of the Muslim community.
On social media web site Twitter, actor Kal Penn is began directing people to a petition on signon.org in support of the TLC cable network show, “All-American Muslim.” By Monday afternoon, there were about 9,200 signatures.
On Monday, U.S. Representative Keith Ellison of Minnesota, who is Muslim, released a statement condemning Lowe’s for choosing “to uphold the beliefs of a fringe hate group and not the creed of The First Amendment.”
And Democratic state Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Detroit, the first Muslim elected to the Michigan Legislature, voiced her concerns directly with the company. She wrote a letter to Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock.
“I told them I was extremely disappointed that you give credibility to these hate groups,” Tlaib said. “People of Muslim faith are being attacked. It’s disappointing, disheartening.”
Meanwhile, Lowe’s, based in Mooresville, N.C., said it stands by its Sunday statement that it pulled the ads after the show became a “lightning rod for people to voice complaints from a variety of perspectives - political, social and otherwise.” The company also said that “dozens” of other advertisers pulled their advertising from the show.
“All-American Muslim” premiered last month and chronicles the lives of five families who live in and near Dearborn, Mich., a Detroit suburb with a large Muslim and Arab-American population. TLC spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg said “All-American Muslim,” which airs on Mondays on TLC and ends its first season on Jan. 8, has garnered a little over a million viewers per week.
“We stand behind the show All American Muslim and we’re happy the show has strong advertising support,” she said.
Lowe’s stopped running commercials during “All-American Muslim” after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association e-mailed companies to ask them to stop advertising on the show. The group said the program is “propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.”
Florida Family Association, based in Tampa, Fla., said that more than 60 advertisers that it e-mailed, from Amazon to McDonalds, have also stopped advertising on the show. But so far, Lowe’s is the only major company to confirm that it pulled ads from the show.
Amazon and McDonald’s and other advertisers did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Meanwhile, Atlanta-based Home Depot, which was cited by Florida Family Association as a company that stopped advertising, said Monday it never intended to run any ads during the show. But spokesman Stephen Holmes said one commercial ran “inadvertently and without our knowledge.”
The controversy highlights the fine line companies must walk when they select shows to advertise on.
Branding expert Laura Ries said Lowe’s made two mistakes. The first was advertising during a show that could be construed as controversial. The second was pulling advertising too quickly.
“For a big national brand like Lowe’s, they’ve always got to be incredibly careful when advertising during any show that could be deemed controversial,” she said. “Will it seriously damage the brand in the long term? Probably not. But it is a serious punch in the stomach.”
Overall, analysts said the furor is unlikely to damage Lowe’s brand in the long term.
“For a company that generates $50 billion in annual revenue, I don’t view this as something that will have a meaningful impact,” said Morningstar analyst Peter Wahlstrom. “I’m hopeful this blows over and I’m certain management is as well.”
Still, some worry Lowe’s ad flap could do damage to Muslims living in the Metro Detroit area.
Florida pastor Terry Jones held an anti-Islam rally earlier this year outside Dearborn City Hall after being barred from protesting outside a Muslim mosque in the city. A burning of the Quran in March at Jones’ church in Florida led to a series of violent protests in Afghanistan that killed more than a dozen people.
“Metro Detroit and Dearborn have been the focal point of a number of anti-Muslim movements,” said Dawud Walid, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Michigan chapter. “There are organized forces in our society that want to marginalize American Muslims to the point where they don’t want to see any portrayals of Muslims that regular Americans can connect to.”
—
Corey Williams in Detroit, Rachel Zoll in New York and Mitch Stacy in Tampa, Fla., contributed to this report.
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