Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
When Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana he found himself quickly dropped by Kellogg's, who had used the athlete's hitherto wholesome image to sell its famous Corn Flakes and Frosted Flakes.
This quickly - or fairly quickly - led to a wave of protest from pro-cannabis campaigners who called for a boycott of the company's "hypocritical and disgusting" action. And now, it seems, the cereal manufacturer is paying the price for ridding themselves of sport's most-celebrated stoner.
Silicon Valley Insider (SVI) has published a report compiled by the company reputation index, Vanno, which appears to show that the cancellation of Phelps's endorsement contract has badly damaged the Kellogg's brand.
"Out of the 5,600 company reputations Vanno monitors, Kellogg ranked ninth before it booted Phelps. Now it's ranked 83. Not even an industry-wide peanut scare inflicted as much damage on the food company's reputation," reports SVI.
Kellogg's had featured the 23-year-old on the front of its cereal packets soon after his record-breaking eight Olympic gold medals last summer. But the company decided not to renew his contract when the News of the World published a photo of Phelps smoking cannabis at a student party.
At the time, several mainstream newspapers, including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal published opinion columns questioning the rationale and effectiveness of America's cannabis laws.
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The First Post
Copyright: 2009 The First Post
Contact: The First Post: News, current affairs, sport, entertainment, life and the arts
Website: People: Michael Phelps has revenge on Kellogg’s | News | The First Post
This quickly - or fairly quickly - led to a wave of protest from pro-cannabis campaigners who called for a boycott of the company's "hypocritical and disgusting" action. And now, it seems, the cereal manufacturer is paying the price for ridding themselves of sport's most-celebrated stoner.
Silicon Valley Insider (SVI) has published a report compiled by the company reputation index, Vanno, which appears to show that the cancellation of Phelps's endorsement contract has badly damaged the Kellogg's brand.
"Out of the 5,600 company reputations Vanno monitors, Kellogg ranked ninth before it booted Phelps. Now it's ranked 83. Not even an industry-wide peanut scare inflicted as much damage on the food company's reputation," reports SVI.
Kellogg's had featured the 23-year-old on the front of its cereal packets soon after his record-breaking eight Olympic gold medals last summer. But the company decided not to renew his contract when the News of the World published a photo of Phelps smoking cannabis at a student party.
At the time, several mainstream newspapers, including the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal published opinion columns questioning the rationale and effectiveness of America's cannabis laws.
News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: The First Post
Copyright: 2009 The First Post
Contact: The First Post: News, current affairs, sport, entertainment, life and the arts
Website: People: Michael Phelps has revenge on Kellogg’s | News | The First Post