Another reason to hate Specialized.. or is it?

[kevinvc]

Article here (http://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2016/04/05/specialized-apologizes-for-better-bike-shop-ad-on-wreckage-of-greenwood-bike-shop/)

G&O Family Cyclery is/was a beloved small family commuting LBS in Seattle. Last month, a gas main blew up and destroyed most of a city block, including their store. They're hoping to re-open, but it will be a while before the investigation is over and they get their insurance money. They are so embraced by the community that a crowdfunding effort was set up to help carry them over.

Anyways, this week the boarded up wreckage of the shop had this Specialized advertisement plastered on it:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CfTgNh3UIAArGaO.jpg

Specialized says their contracted advertising company chooses the sites for their ads and that they don't know where the locations are going to be. After G&O posted this on social media, Specialized apologized and donated money to their GoFundMe campaign. Regardless, this is really bad optics for a company that is already viewed as predatory by many.

[peanutgallery]

My new camber evo is one rocking machine

The new geo, little extra travel and the stock bits are great. Really liking the rear shock valving, much improved. The aluminum version starts pretty cheap and is on sale for a few weeks yet

[MattTuck]

I wouldn't put anything by specialized.

[unterhausen]

can you just go slap a sign up on someone's building? Doesn't seem plausible.

the comments say it's an illegal sign, and that's the sign company's business model. Seems like it would be worth shutting them down

[jtakeda]

Not a huge spec fan, but I think it wasn't on purpose.

I saw those ads on Mcallister ST in the Tenderloin yesterday. It was next to a construction site for a burned down hotel and an abandoned bank.

Edit: just passed the ad on the way uptown. It's on the next block over next to an under construction somethin or another and a liquor store by hasting law school. Seems they're just posting on construction sites.

[crossjunkee]

I guess you gotta read the fine print to know it's a Specialized add. Specialized also donated to their Gofundme page. G&O doesn't seem to care about the add too much and that's really all that matters...

https://www.gofundme.com/n7tmv4xg

[HenryA]

Somebody at the ad agency needs a good talking to. Posting like that on other people's property without permission is going to get them and maybe their client sued. And deservedly so.

[KonaSS]

This seems like an honest mistake.

I don't know where people get all the energy to get worked up about these things. Just think if this energy could be used for something productive!

[AJosiahK]

I wouldn't put anything by specialized.

right

I cant imagine that was by accident.

[BobbyJones]

Maybe we should retitle this thread "An LBS doing something right!"

[bikemoore]

We're supposed to hate Specialized now too? Not sure I have enough room in my "hate locker" to add Specialized to TREK, Shimano, SRAM, Rolf, Rapha, Assos, Oakley, Performance and everyone else we're supposed to hate. Giant never made the list, did they?

[Dave B]

People make mistakes and while it might be naive, Spec apologized, donated, and is having their "sign" people remove it.

Seems a lot of effort went into making things right by a company who only ever gets bad press...a lot of it rightfully deserved.

[peanutgallery]

I love my new camber, little hearts come out my chest whenever I think about it

[velomonkey]

Let me make sure I get this straight

A Company will find illegal locations to plaster a sign which creates blight in neighborhoods as the signs will stay up since the city does not have funds to enforce the signage code.

Specialized paid for this and subsidizes this company and the company chose an illegal location that belongs to a shop that never carried specialized.

Oh, I am sorry, that is just low, low, low, low. Intention doesn't matter, you act like that and it's gonna stink.

[jmoore]

They are so embraced by the community that a crowdfunding effort was set up to help carry them over.




On a tangent, it's not really that embracing to see a GoFundMe page setup, esp with some of the one's I've seen. It just takes a few minutes to do it.


Though I am happy to see that they are getting close to their goal. The donations shows they are embraced more than the GFM page.

[notsew]

We're supposed to hate Specialized now too? Not sure I have enough room in my "hate locker" to add Specialized to TREK, Shimano, SRAM, Rolf, Rapha, Assos, Oakley, Performance and everyone else we're supposed to hate. Giant never made the list, did they?

Hating specialized is old hat here.. http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=140759&highlight=cafe+roubaix

I really doubt specialized went to the trouble to direct their marketer to put these things up. I cannot imagine this tiny LBS was even on their radar.

And, to be clear, the city chooses not to enforce this aspect of the sign code, nothing Seattle chooses to do or not do is for a lack of funds, only a prioritization of funds.

[Vinci]

If it wasn't Specialized that did it, we probably wouldn't have a problem with it. Since Specialized are letigious assholes to everyone else, they are held to a different standard.

I have no problem with Specialized catching all the flak people can throw at them for this.

[unterhausen]

If it wasn't Specialized that did it, we probably wouldn't have a problem with it. this is probably true, even though this type of sign is a nuisance.

Let me make sure I get this straight

A Company will find illegal locations to plaster a sign which creates blight in neighborhoods as the signs will stay up since the city does not have funds to enforce the signage code.

Specialized paid for this and subsidizes this company and the company chose an illegal location that belongs to a shop that never carried specialized.
yeah, the fact that Specialized thinks it's a good idea to use a company that only posts signs illegally is really the annoying thing here. Someone should go wheat past a Salsa ad all over specialized's headquarters and see how they feel about that

[spinarelli]

It's nice to hide behind the " we just pay for the advertising, we have no say where they put it"
...ORLY?

[93legendti]

it's nice to hide behind the " we just pay for the advertising, we have no say where they put it"
...orly?

orly?

[spinarelli]

orly?

Oh, really? Specialized, you have no say where your advertising money is spent?

[54ny77]

All your Tarmac's are belong to us.

[bikinchris]

We're supposed to hate Specialized now too? Not sure I have enough room in my "hate locker" to add Specialized to TREK, Shimano, SRAM, Rolf, Rapha, Assos, Oakley, Performance and everyone else we're supposed to hate. Giant never made the list, did they?

Don't forget Lance.

[93legendti]

Oh, really? Specialized, you have no say where your advertising money is spent?
Got it. Thought it was a reference to the Orly company