A number of brands have committed to pulling advertising from Jones’ 2GB breakfast show following his Jacinda Ardern comments, as Macquarie Media chairman Russell Tate issued a warning to the breakfast show host that the company won’t hesitate to terminate his contract if he continues to misstep.
The mass exit of brands and warning from Tate follows Jones’ last week on-air comments where he described New Zealand prime Minister Jacinda Arden as a “joke” and suggested Scott Morrison should “shove a sock down [her] throat.”
In a statement to the media, Tate said: “Notwithstanding his apologies, I have today discussed the matter with Alan and advised him that any recurrence of commentary of this nature will result in the termination of his contract.”
On Friday, Jones issued a statement about his comments, explaining what he meant was “Scott Morrison should tell Ms Ardern to ‘put a sock in it.’”
The shock jock made the comments while discussing the current Pacific Islands Forum taking place in Tuvalu, where regional leaders, including Ardern, have urged Australia to reduce its coal emissions.
And, despite his clarification, a number of brands have vowed to pull their advertising from Jones’ show.
On Friday, community lobby group Sleeping Giants Oz posted to Twitter a list of brands that advertise on Jones’ 2GB show, urging followers to contact the brands and let them know how they feel about the radio host and his comments.
Hi all, just an update from ME. Thanks for your feedback – we take this very seriously and these types of comments don't reflect our values. We've expressed our concerns to 2GB and have pulled advertising. Thanks – Annabelle
— ME (@mebank) August 16, 2019
As many as nine brands have since committed to pulling their advertising on Jones’ show, including Amart, Big W, Bing Lee, Bunnings, ME Bank, Mercedez Benz, Snooze and Total Tools.
