ABC News is trying to turn the tables on Metabolife, a company that launched a $1.5 million media campaign to discredit a “20/20” report airing tonight at 10 p.m.
Last month, shortly after “20/20” correspondents interviewed two of the companies top executives, Metabolife embarked on a PR campaign, slamming the report because it thought it would be unfairly negative.
Now, with all the attention the report has gotten, it appears that Metabolife’s plan may backfire – by driving the news magazine’s ratings through the roof.
The network has played Metabolife’s counter-efforts by promoting the report with 15-second TV spots that say: “Metabolife. Thousands call this diet pill a miracle. So why’s the company so upset by our report…What are they afraid of?”
“Certainly people are aware of the controversy that surrounded the piece,” said ABC News spokeswoman Eileen Murphy.
“It would have been foolish of us to ignore that, but the content of the piece was not impacted in any way by the campaign,” Murphy said.
Metabolife’s anti-“20/20” campaign included radio spots on 1,500 stations nationwide and full-page ads in several newspapers. All the ads have directed consumers to a website featuring footage and transcripts of the interview.
“Don’t wait for ABC to show its edited version of the interview with Metabolife’s CEO and medical doctor,” the website http://www.newsinterview.com states.
“20/20” correspondent Arnold Diaz conducted the interview in September and ABC didn’t announce plans to air it until this week.
ABC officials deny any link between the timing of the report and Metabolife’s smear campaign.
“[The piece] was just about ready to be put on the schedule when [news of the campaign] broke,” Murphy said. “So it didn’t impact it one way or the other – we didn’t rush it but we also didn’t hold it.”